Fun Olorotitan Facts For Kids
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The Olorotitan holotype specimen that had a complete skeleton was discovered in 1999 and 2001 during fieldwork in the Udurchukan Formation of Kundur in the Amur region of Russia. The scientist Pascal Godefroit et al.
and the team of his colleagues described and named this dinosaur as a new species in 2003.
That Olorotitan skeleton was the first almost complete dinosaur specimen of Russia and is also the most complete one of the Lambeosaurine skeleton found somewhere outside North America, as most of them were from North America. Many fragments of dinosaurs, crocodiles, and turtle specimens were found in hundreds of square meters in the area around the discovery site.
Other localities of the Blagoveschensk, Udurchukan Formation, and Amur River have had many Lambeosaurine remains.
Olorotitan means ‘titanic swan’. It got its name because of the very long neck it possesses as compared to other Lambeosaurines, Corythosaurus, Tsintaosaurus, and Hypacrosaurus.
You can also check out Lurdusaurus and Mapusaurus to get more insights about related dinosaurs.
What type of dinosaur was an Olorotitan?
This large hatchet-like hollow crest dinosaur Olorotitan was a hadrosaurid. This Lambeosaurine-related hadrosaurid was 26 ft (8 m) in length, and the Olorotitan discovery of its fossils made clear that they had a hatched on the skull and a long tail just like most hadrosaurids.
In which geological period did the Olorotitan roam the Earth?
The long neck Olorotitan (Olorotitan arharensis) dinosaur used to live 70.6 million years ago-66 million years ago (Maastrichtian). This dinosaur had a close relation to the Nipponosaurus and Sahaliyania.
They were also related to lambeosaurines (from North America), Amurosaurus, and the Corythosaurus. They used to share their territory or habitat with the Amurosaurus, Kerberosaurus, and Charonoaurus with other theropods, crocodiles, and some more brackish water inhabitants.
When did the Olorotitan become extinct?
According to the records on their lifespan, they are believed to have gone extinct 76-70 million years ago due to a huge mass extinction event in the Late Cretaceous period.
Where did an Olorotitan live?
The Olorotitan was a genus of duck-billed dinosaurs, Lambeosaurine, belonging to the middle Maastrichtian-age Late Cretaceous, and their remains were found in the Udurchukan Formation beds of Kundur, Amur Region, Far Eastern Russia.
What was an Olorotitan's habitat?
As the majority of the remains of Olorotitan dinosaurs have been found in Russia, this means they preferred to inhabit slightly colder terrestrial areas than other hadrosaurs. Regions of grasses, areas of good availability of water, shrublands, woodlands, and grasslands used to be their habitats.
Who did an Olorotitan live with?
This dinosaur had very few herd requirements. The herd consisted of a minimum of three animals, and their population range was about four in a group, be it different dinosaurs species as well.
They used to mix up and join the packs of other animals. They avoided mixing up with carnivorous species like other hadrosaurs because in front of them they couldn’t defend themselves. ‘Arharensis’ refers to Arhara County where the fossils were found.
How long did an Olorotitan live?
The exact information on this is not available yet. They became extinct 76 million years ago during or later after the Late Cretaceous period, which is the younger of two epochs. They got their name because of their long elongated neck.
How did they reproduce?
Understanding their reproduction is hard because there is no certain information available on their reproduction as of now. They used to lay eggs, but whether they provided parental care or not is still not clear.
Olorotitan Fun Facts
What did an Olorotitan look like?
The Olorotitan is considered one of the most elegant dinosaurs in history. It was 26 ft (8.0 m) in length and was in existence in the Late Cretaceous period in eastern Russia. It had an elongated neck that supported the Olorotitan skull.
They had a deep tail with beefy legs and slender arms. The large hatchet-like hollow crest gave this species a striking look. All the relative species like Corythosaurus and Lambeosaurus had the same feature, which made them stand out from other dinosaurs.
How many bones did an Olorotitan have?
The Olorotitan had 18 neck vertebrae which was much more than hadrosaurs in general. The number of bones an Olorotitan had is not known.
How did they communicate?
Very little information is available on their communicating behavior. They used their large hatchet-like hollow crest on the skull for communication purposes either with their group-mates or the females to attract them. This crest also helped them to identify the animals of their tribe when they used to form groups with different species as well.
How big was an Olorotitan?
The length of this species of clade Ornithopoda and tribe Lambeosauriniwas was about 26 ft (8.0 m).
How fast could an Olorotitan move?
The front legs of this dinosaur were smaller than the back legs and they mostly would have used them for running purposes. The Olorotitan (Olorotitan arharensis) used to walk and run mostly run on two legs out of the four. The relative species of Lambeosaurus were considered fast-moving dinosaurs after looking at the footprints.
How much did an Olorotitan weigh?
The weight of this large hatchet-like hollow crest (on the skull) species Olorotitan (Olorotitan arharensis) used to be around 3.49 US ton (3166.07 kg). It was discovered at a dig site, Udurchukan Formation.
The Olorotitan was a bipedal herbivore and its broad crest, which was hollow formed of skull bones, helped in identifying sound and sight. The Olorotitan size was the same as almost all other hadrosaurids, according to the fossils found.
What were the male and female names of the species?
There are no specific names for male and female dinosaurs of this species of North America Olorotitan (Olorotitan arharensis). Olorotitan means ‘titanic swan' because of its comparatively longer neck than other hadrosaurids. ‘Arharensis’ refers to Arhara County, where the fossils were found.
What would you call a baby Olorotitan?
The baby of this herbivore dinosaur species does not have any particular name. They were called baby Olorotitan dinosaurs.
What did they eat?
These dinosaurs of the family Hadrosauridae were herbivorous animals and their main diet was fruits, leaves, flowers, grasses, pine needles, and twigs.
How aggressive were they?
These dinosaurs were not able to defend themselves in situations of a one-on-one fight with their predators or some of the members of their own groups, unlike hadrosaurs. They were not very aggressive due to obvious reasons of lack of self-defense from other carnivorous animals. They may have had non-fatal fights.
Did you know...
Sauropods have had amazing necks but the Olorotitan had 18 neck vertebrae which is uncommon for Sauropods, and also the neck was more elongated compared to other relative species.
How was the Olorotitan discovered?
One holotype specimen of Olorotitan, which had a complete skeleton was discovered in the Udurchukan Formation of Kundur in the Amur region of Russia between 1999 and 2001. The paleontologist of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Dr.Pascal Godefroit et al., and his colleagues described the Olorotitan in 2003.
The fossils of the Olorotitan dinosaur were unlocked by a high rating with the Science division on Isla Muerta East.
The holotype discovered in Russia at Udurchukan Formation of Kundur is currently the most complete dinosaur skeleton discovered in the country. It is also one of the best well-preserved Lambeosaurines outside North America.
What species of Olorotitan are there?
The only species and type species of Olorotitan is the Olorotitan arharensis. It is one of the last non-avian dinosaurs. It went extinct during the late Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.
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 Sauropelta facts pages and Orodromeus facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Olorotitan coloring pages.
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Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication
Nidhi SahaiBachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication
Dedicated and experienced, Nidhi is a professional content writer with a strong reputation for delivering high-quality work. She has contributed her expertise to esteemed organizations, including Network 18 Media and Investment Ltd. Driven by her insatiable curiosity and love for journalism and mass communication, Nidhi pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, graduating with distinction in 2021. During her college years, she discovered her passion for Video Journalism, showcasing her skills as a videographer for her institution. Nidhi's commitment to making a positive impact extends beyond her professional pursuits. Actively engaging in volunteer work, she has contributed to various events and initiatives throughout her academic career.
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