Fun Tsintaosaurus Facts For Kids

The Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus is a dinosaur that lived in the eastern part of China. Their distinctive crest is the main reason why they are known as the Tsintaosaurus today.

Earlier they were just known as a synonym for a hadrosaur. The crest of these dinosaurs was earlier considered to be damaged and therefore it wasn't tested as real.

They lived during the late Cretaceous time and were uncovered by Young in 1958. It's very interesting how their unicorn-like crest is responsible for the entire identity and classification of this dinosaur.

Their name also tells a very different story; their name is a synonym for other crestless hadrosaurs such as the Tanius. The name Tanius is also given to some other specimens from the same family.

The credit for their reconstruction goes to Wagner. The correct identification of the dinosaur with a crest on its head became a prime element of the research only because of Wagner.

The Paleozoological Museum of China has this genus and the public can visit to experience the structure of this giant. It is also assumed that Hadrosauridae lived in herds.

From fossils to current-day animals, the effect of the Dinosauria period can be seen on animals of today's generation as well. To learn more about such creatures make sure to check out our articles on the ostrich and mockingbirds.

Tsintaosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Tsintaosaurus '?

There are several features which distinguish the Tsintaosaurus dinosaur from other dinosaurs. Their common medium champer is probably divided into two sections, right and left. Back to main features such as the Tsintaosaurus skull, which is also very helpful to identify this dinosaur as belonging to its original genus. One can pronounce this dinosaur as "ching-dow-sore-us".

What type of dinosaur was a Tsintaosaurus?

Their fossil reveals that the Tsintaosaurus walked on its four legs and used their hind legs to flee or save themselves from predators. The Jurassic world evolution Tsintaosaurus is a hadrosaur dinosaur.

In which geological period did the Tsintaosaurus roam the Earth?

This hadrosaur family lived in the Cretaceous period. Due to deformation after death, the nasal bone and the crest are often found broken.

When did the Tsintaosaurus become extinct?

Researchers say that their nasal bone was a potential hollow structure but it cannot be proved due to deformation. There is a large amount of content about why and how extinction is related to dinosaurs. Fast forward to today, we know that natural calamities such as asteroid collisions are the reason for the same.

Where did a Tsintaosaurus live?

Scientists such as Prieto-Márquez believe that the Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus lived in China and several other parts of Asia. Fossils of these dinosaurs are found in places such as the Shandong province of China.

What was a Tsintaosaurus's habitat?

These hadrosaurs lived near lake shores and often in herds. As said by Young in 1958 it was important for this species to live in herds to save themselves from predators. The Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus lived in dense vegetation as they were herbivores and often fed on plants.

Who did a Tsintaosaurus live with?

Studies on the Tsintaosaurus skeleton revealed that they probably lived in herds, thus during the Cretaceous period, this species of Hadrosaurs only lived with each other. The museum in China also talks about the same classification.

According to scientists such as Wagner, current-day birds such as the kea parrot and the fox sparrow are related to these dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period.

How long did a Tsintaosaurus live?

There are very few facts present pointing towards the exact lifespan of the Hadrosaur, although references from Young and Wagner can be taken. According to the museum in China, the Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus could have lived for 15-20 years.

How did they reproduce?

Dinosaurs were very similar to present-day lizards in regards to reproduction. They laid eggs and guarded their young like current-day reptiles do. Reproduction in the Hadrosaur was strictly through laying eggs.

Tsintaosaurus Fun Facts

What did a Tsintaosaurus look like?

There were various distinctive features that set the Tsintaosaurus apart from other dinosaurs. They had a unicorn-like crest and walked on four legs. Wagner believes their beak was also a very important feature.

The beak was round and thick and made their nostrils look wide. They had an internal process pointing towards the backside. A broken crest, nasal bones, and an internal air passage are a few other unique features.

It's said that their nasal bones were nothing but a hollow tube-like structure. The fossil also has a large number of disarticulated elements, which can be seen in deformed skeletons. Although only a partial skull has been discovered, their skull roof was still very significant.

How many bones did a Tsintaosaurus have?

They had a unicorn-like bone on their skull and probably some other down the nasal cavity. Their lob-like crest also had several bones and the crest also gave way to the internal air passage. The crest started from a mere tip of the snout. The entire bone count of this dinosaur is not known.

How did they communicate?

Young believed that these hadrosaurs probably communicated through visual signs and vocal calls.

How big was a Tsintaosaurus?

A holotype of this dinosaur with its head and a crest was found. Although it is impossible to picture exactly how it was during the late Cretaceous time, Prieto-Márquez argues that this animal is indeed very well portrayed in the holotype.

According to Prieto-Márquez, the species was 27 ft (8.3 m) long. When we compare these hadrosaurs with other animals, it can be said that they are five times bigger than a lion and around 6-7 times bigger than a gorilla.

How fast could a Tsintaosaurus move?

According to Prieto-Márquez, these hadrosaurs moved very slowly. Due to the partial skull and incomplete fossil present in the museum we don't have much information about their speed but these hadrosaurs didn't walk very fast.

How much did a Tsintaosaurus weigh?

A Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus weighed differently among adults and young. Going forward with the average weight of this animal it can be said that an average healthy Tsintaosaurus weighed around 2.5 t (2,267 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are many species of animals where there are no designated separate names for males and females. There are a handful of species where the male and female are known by different names due to severe differences in their structure or anatomy.

When we talk about dinosaurs that walked this Earth millions of years ago, both genders have the same name. The male and female are called and addressed with the same given genus name.

What would you call a baby Tsintaosaurus?

Current-day reptiles and centuries-old dinosaurs are very similar to each other in their own ways. The babies of both these genera are addressed with similar names. When a baby has just hatched, we call it a hatchling. When the baby is young and is still living in the nest we call it a nestling.

What did they eat?

Various books talk about the diet of this Hadrosauridae. As mentioned earlier, this genus is herbivorous and ate plants and seeds or fruits.

How aggressive were they?

They were not very aggressive, although they were territorial. A Tsintaosaurus might put up a fight when it came to territory.

Did you know...

The rim of the upper beak in these dinosaurs was very delicate and fragile.

Is there a unicorn dinosaur?

The Tsintaosaurus is known as the unicorn dinosaur because of the crest over its head.

What does the Tsintaosaurus mean?

The term Tsintaosaurus means Qingdao's lizard.

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 frilled lizard facts and texas horned lizard facts for kids.

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