Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus
Click to enlarge image
Image: James Reece
© Australian Museum
© Australian Museum
Fast Facts
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Classification
- Family
- Hadrosauridae
Introduction
Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus lived in lakes, probably in herds, around 80 million years ago.
Identification
Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus had:
- a forward-pointing unicorn-like crest on its head which probably helped it to attract mates;
- resonators in the tubular cavities inside its crest enabling it to produce distinctive mating calls;
- a large tail and paddle-like forelegs to assist with swimming.
Habitat
Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus lived in lakes.
Fossils description
Tsintaosaurus was named after the city of Tsingtao in Shandong Province, where the fossil was found. The species name spinorhinus refers to the spine-like crest on its head.
Evolutionary relationships
Tsintaosaurus spinorhinos was a duck-bill dinosaur or hadrosaur. It is an ornithopod that belonged to the family Hadrosauridae known from the Late Cretaceous in North and South America, Europe and Asia.
