Fun Augustynolophus Facts For Kids
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The Augustynolophus (Augustynolophus morrisi) was a Hadrosaur and a Saurolophine dinosaur. It lived during the late Cretaceous era or the upper Cretaceous period, in the Maastrichtian age.
The dinosaur Augustynolophus lived about 72.1-66 million years ago before being driven to extinction due to the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction incident. The Augustynolophus dinosaur was discovered in North America, in the western United States, in the state of California.
The formation specimens were found in was the Moreno formation in Fresno County. The Augustynolophus is the official state dinosaur of California, being granted the status by Jerry Brown, the governor.
The ancient landmass inhabited by the Augustynolophus was Laramidia. Since remains were discovered in marine rock sediments, the Augustynolophus probably lived near shores.
It is believed that Augustynolophus dinosaurs lived in herds. They were duck-billed like other Hadrosaurs, but had a skull crest and could've walked on two or all four limbs.
Their skin was more like that of reptilians of today and their overall makeup was hollow and flute-like, something that aided in amplifying their voices. This Fresno County dinosaur was named after Gretchen Augustyn and paleontologist William Morris.
For more relatable content, check out these Huehuecanauhtlus facts and Huaxiaosaurus facts for kids.
Augustynolophus Interesting Facts
How do you pronounce 'Augustynolophus'?
Augustynolophus is pronounced as 'Aw-gus-tin-o-lo-fus'.
What type of dinosaur was an Augustynolophus?
The Augustynocephalus (Augustynolophus morrisi) was a Saurolophine dinosaur and a Hadrosaur.
In which geological period did the Augustynolophus roam the Earth?
The Augustynolophus (Augustynolophus morrisi) species inhabited the Earth during the Maastrichtian age of the late Cretaceous series or the upper Cretaceous epoch.
When did the Augustynolophus become extinct?
The Maastrichtian age lasted from 72.1-66 million years ago. The Augustynolophus (Augustynolophus morrisi) species became extinct at least 66 million years ago, because of the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction incident.
Where did the Augustynolophus live?
The Augustynolophus (Augustynolophus morrisi) species was found in North America, in the United States. Specifically, it was discovered in the state of California, in the Moreno formation. It can be said to have lived in what is today known as North America along the USA's western coast. During the dinosaur's time, this area was known as the landmass Laramidia.
What was the Augustynolophus' habitat?
The Augustynolophus (Augustynolophus morrisi) dinosaur species probably lived near shores.
This can be surmised from the fact that fossil remains were discovered in marine rocks. These late Cretaceous-era Augustynolophus dinosaurs had to have lived near the shore and after dying out, their carcasses got washed into the sea or ocean and sunk, being buried in sediments inside the water until they were discovered.
Who did the Augustynolophus live with?
Augustynolophus (Augustynolophus morrisi) dinosaurs are believed to have lived in herds with others of their kind.
How long did an Augustynolophus live?
The Augustynolophus (Augustynolophus morrisi) dinosaur lifespan was on the higher end of the 30-100 year age range.
How did they reproduce?
These Augustynolophus (Augustynolophus morrisi) dinosaurs reproduced by mating and laying eggs, not unlike most other dinosaurs.
Augustynolophus Fun Facts
What did the Augustynolophus look like?
Augustynolophus (Augustynolophus morrisi) dinosaurs had spike-like, bony crests on the top of their skull. These may have been for mating displays or for defense.
The crest may have also been there for amplifying communicative sounds since these dinosaurs were flute-like and hollow. Like other dinosaurs, the Augustynolophus was most probably bipedal while walking, but would have used all four limbs when eating.
There are only two known specimens of the Augustynolophus dinosaur. The holotype, which was unearthed in 1943, consisted of almost a complete skull, including predentary and dentary vertebrae, as well as bones of the hand and limb.
The other specimen was unearthed in 1939 and consisted of elements from limbs and the skull. It was of a smaller size and was, therefore, a juvenile.
The skull of the Augustynolophus holotype had a reconstructed length of close to 3.3 ft (1 m), which means the dinosaur itself would've been very large. The Augustynolophus, being a Hadrosaur, was a duck-billed dinosaur.
The tail and a reconstructed skull from one of the specimens of the dinosaur Augustynolophus have been put on display in the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum in the Dinosaur Hall.
The length of the dinosaur has been estimated to be 30 ft (9.1 m) because of the skull size and the length of the tail which is 6 ft (1.8 m).
Fossil teeth of the Augustynolophus look like a coffee grinder's wheel burr, which shows that it ate plants, in stark contrast to other carnivores like the Tyrannosaurus rex that also lived in a similar geological period.
The 1939 specimen was the bigger of the two available specimens and contained jaws, the skull, vertebrae, teeth, and bones from hind legs, front arms, and feet.
Although the Augustynolophus is a duck-billed Hadrosaur, it does not have the characteristic helmet that other Hadrosaurs did. Instead, it had a crest projection, akin to a small horn.
Fossil impressions of the skin of the Augustynolophus dinosaur suggest that it had reptilian skin, like that of a beaded lizard or bumpy scales in other reptiles like the Gila monster.
How many bones did an Augustynolophus have?
It can not be said for sure how many bones the Augustynolophus (Augustynolophus morrisi) had.
How did they communicate?
Augustynolophus (Augustynolophus morrisi) dinosaurs communicated via visual displays and vocal sounds. Bony crusts on their skull were used for sexual and mating displays and for displays of aggression of defense. Augustynolophus dinosaurs had flute-like and hollow characteristics so its crest may have helped in amplifying their vocal sounds. Kinds of sounds uttered may have been bellows, hoots, and grunts.
How big was the Augustynolophus?
The Augustynolophus height was 10 ft (3 m) and the length was 26-30 ft (7.9-9.1 m). This makes the Augustynolophus size two times bigger than the Akainacephalus size.
How fast could an Augustynolophus move?
Exact speeds of Augustynolophus (Augustynolophus morrisi or Saurolophus morrisi) dinosaurs are not known.
How much did an Augustynolophus weigh?
The Augustynolophus weight was around 6,000.1 lb (2,721.6 kg).
What were the male and female names of the species?
There are no specific names for the male and female Augustynolophus.
What would you call a baby Augustynolophus?
A baby Augustynolophus would be called a hatchling or a nestling.
What did they eat?
Like all Hadrosaurs, the Augustynolophus genus was herbivorous. The Augustynolophus dinosaur fed on plant materials and vegetation.
How aggressive were they?
Augustynolophus dinosaurs may have been aggressive towards one another for mating and territorial rights. They were not aggressive towards other dinosaurs since they were herbivores.
Did you know?
The Augustynolophus is one of four dinosaurs to have lived near coasts of today's western parts of the United States. The other three were the Campanian Aletopelta coombsi, the Ichthyornis sea bird, and an undescribed Tyrannosaur species.
The Tyrannosaur had an informal name, Suciasaurus rex, and was discovered in the state of Washington. Additional and remains of Ornithopods and Hadrosaurs have also been recovered in California.
The Augustynolophus dinosaur, named after Gretchen Augustyn and paleontologist William Morris, was declared the official state dinosaur of California by Jerry Brown, the Governor of California, in September 2017.
Teeth of the Augustynolophus were strong since they were one of the few dinosaurs to chew the food of their herbivorous diet.
Why are they called Augustynolophus?
The generic name is made up of two components, 'Augustyn' and the suffix 'lophus'. The 'Augustyn' comes from Gretchen Augustyn of the Augustyn family, who helped the Los Angeles County Museum.
The suffix 'lophus' comes from the relation of the dinosaur to Saurolophus dinosaurs. Also, the specific name 'morrisi' in Augustynolophus morrisi comes from paleontologist William Morris, the paleontologist. Originally, the species had been named Saurolophus morrisi.
How many specimens of Augustynolophus were discovered?
There are a total of two fossil specimens of the Augustynolophus that have been recovered from the Moreno formation in Fresno County, California. The holotype, designated LACM/CIT 2852, was found in 1943 and it had almost a complete skull and hand and limb bones.
The other specimen, designated LACM/CIT 2760, had elements of limbs and the skull and was unearthed in 1939.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other dinosaurs from our Trachodon facts and Secernosaurus fun facts for kids pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Augustynolophus coloring pages.
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Main image by Nobu Tamura.
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