Fun Bactrosaurus Facts For Kids

Bactosaurus dinosaurs were just one name in the list of many an animal who had gone extinct due to an ice age caused by environmental factors. The Bactosaurus was seen as a member of the lambeosaurine hadrosaurs family for its thick skin.

There have been various scientists involved with the study of this creature, such as B Johnsoni, Charles W, and many others, otherwise not mentioned.

They are also recognized by their crest, which appears to be like tumors on their head (as said by B Johnsoni) but other scientists compare this crest to a hump. Apart from the crest, this creature is a herbivore, much like several other dinosaurs at the time.

If you want to learn more about the research into the natural Bactrosaurus skeletons, their remains, and a number of interesting genetic features, read on! But there is so much more to the research of dinosaurs than just their genus, skeleton, features, and the number of them!

Discover more such interesting research about the skeletons of other dinosaurs like the Austroraptor and Homalocephale.

Bactrosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Bactrosaurus'?

The word Bactrosauras is pronounced at 'Bak-tro-sore-us'.

What type of dinosaur was a Bactrosaurus?

Bactrosaurus is a herbivorous dinosaur genus that existed in Asia around 96-85 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period.

In which geological period did the Bactrosaurus roam the earth?

The Bactrosaurus roamed the earth in the late Cretaceous period, which was approximately 96-85 million years ago.

When did the Bactrosaurus become extinct?

Members of this suborder were living in the Late Cretaceous era. Therefore, scientists estimate that the Bactrosaurus altura went extinct somewhere around 80 million years ago in the early periods of the post cretaceous era.

Where did a Bactrosaurus live?

It lived in terrestrial habitats in Asia during the Cretaceous period. Its remains have been discovered in Mongolia's mnögovi, Kyrgyzstan's Batken Region, and Inner Mongolia (China). This is also where the only remains of this creature have been found, in far Asia.

What was a Bactrosaurus' habitat?

The Bactrosaurus lived in the grasslands and ate plants as part of their diet, along with some other members of the Chordata suborder. Unless new research comes up on the Bactrosaurus wildlife, they will continue to be thought of as herbivores.

Who did a Bactrosaurus live with?

The earliest Bactrosaurus fossils discovered in the Gobi Desert of China were incomplete skeletons of six individuals from the Iren Dabasu Formation. The gathered specimens seem to be from a variety of age groups, ranging from hatchlings to full-grown adults. As a result, it's considered that these creatures live in groups. This would help them protect themselves from predators.

How long did a Bactrosaurus live?

Due to a lack of research into this species of lambeosaurine hadrosaurids, there is no information or evidence on their lifespan. Some use the genetic evidence to place these hadrosaurs' lifespan at approximately 80 years.

How did they reproduce?

Research into the history of the adults of the hadrosaurids reveals that their reproduction might have been similar to crocodiles or other reptiles. This may be a shared trait amongst other adults of this suborder.

Bactrosaurus Fun Facts

What did a Bactrosaurus look like?

A typical Bactrosaurus would have been 20 ft (6.2 m) tall and weighed 2645.6-7936.7 lb (1,200-3,600 kg). The Bactrosaurus height was about 6.6 ft (2 m).

It was an early sibling of Lambeosaurus and exhibits a number of features like iguanodont, including three stacked teeth for each apparent tooth, and an unusually robust physique for a hadrosaur. It has features that are halfway between those of the two major hadrosaurid groups, and it could be a descendant of an older iguanodontid dinosaur.

The Bactrosaurus was first reported as having no crest, which is typical of iguanodont species but very primitive for a lambeosaurine-like creature. However, further research on the Bactrosaurus has revealed fragments of what seems to be the base of an imperfectly preserved crest - earlier mistaken for tumors.

Though it is largely assumed that they had hard skin, the theory of the Bactrosaurus feather is one that frequently comes up in discussion.

How many bones did a Bactrosaurus have?

There has been no full skeleton ever found for this creature. There has only been a skull and some bones recovered. The early, artificial reconstructions of the skull and the skeleton estimates that they have more than 200 bones.

How did they communicate?

The communication amongst the Bactrosaurus (prehistoric wildlife) can be studied by looking at their skull. There are no vocal cords present, but Gilmore discovered that there is some hollow space in their skull, which allows for them to be louder. Otherwise, there is not much else known about their communication, unless something else comes up.

How big was a Bactrosaurus?

A description of a normal Bactrosaurus would have been 20 ft (6 m) long. The length of an elephant is approximately 18-21 ft (5.4-6.4 m)‬. Elephants are slightly larger than Bactrosaurus that is one of the best-known hadrosaurs.

How fast could a Bactrosaurus move?

There is nothing in the description of this animal by various scientists (Charles W.B Johnsoni, Rothschild, etc.) that can reveal the speed of this animal. Otherwise, we can deduce that they might have been slow runners due to their size and description of legs.

How much did a Bactrosaurus weigh?

This club lizard (the title chosen due to the club-shaped neural spines and remains collected from the Iren Dabasu Formation)weighed between 2645.6-7936.7 lb (1,200-3,600 kg). This makes them one of the biggest herbivores of the time, and as an extension, one of the heaviest.

What were the male and female names of the species?

The male and female dinosaurs of these earliest known hadrosauroids (not known from full skeleton) have no special title. There have also not been enough skeletons or remains found to differentiate between the males and the females.

What would you call a baby Bactrosaurus?

The Bactrosaurus baby species (phylum: Chordata) have iguanodont features and are not closely related to the birds and don't have any specific name. There are also not any remains of bones found of any babies of this species, so that naming may be required.

What did they eat?

Bactrosaurus were big, plant-eating dinosaurs, that possess three stacked teeth for each evident tooth, with a duck-billed bill. It was possible for this ornithopod to move on two or four legs.

How aggressive were they?

As herbivores, they are not particularly aggressive. However, they do have tumor-like crests on their bodies as self-defense. They also stayed in groups, which made hunting them difficult. Therefore, there is not much we see in terms of aggressiveness.

Did you know...

Evidence of tumors, including desmoplastic fibroma, hemangiomas, osteoblastoma, and metastatic cancer, and was identified in ancient Bactrosaurus skeletons in 2003. Rothschild et al. examined dinosaur vertebrae for concerning tumors using fluoroscopy screening and computerized tomography.

Gilmoreosaurus, Brachylophosaurus, and Edmontosaurus were among the other hadrosaurids that were found to be positive. The tumors were found only in Bactrosaurus and closely related genera, despite the fact that more than 10,000 fossils were investigated in this way. The tumors may be caused by environmental factors or genetic inclination.

Charles W. Gilmore identified the fossils in 1933 and named the new animal Bactrosaurus, or club lizard, after the massive club-shaped neural spines that protruded from parts of the vertebrae. The Iren Dabasu Formation dates from the Cenomanian period, approximately 95.8 6.2 million years ago.

The Bactrosaurus is still best known than many of the early hadrosaurs, despite the fact that no full remains have yet been discovered. The legs, pelvis, and majority of the skull are known components of Bactrosaurus' anatomy (although the crest is notably not present).

The Bactrosaurus is one of the earliest known hadrosauroids in the Cretaceous, and despite the lack of a complete skeleton, it is one of the best-known of these early hadrosauroids, making its discovery a noteworthy find.

Did the Bactrosaurus hunt?

No, the Bactrosaurus was a herbivore, and these species were not supposed to hunt.

What terrain did the Bactrosaurus live in?

It colonized Asia throughout the Cretaceous epoch. Its fossils have been discovered in Batken Region (Kyrgyzstan), Inner Mongolia (China), and Ömnögovi (Mongolia).

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures from our Ichthyovenator facts, or Chungkingosaurus facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Bactrosaurus coloring pages.