Maiasaura
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Maiasaura earned the name "motherly reptile" because the first fossils of it, discovered in the 1970s, were in a breeding colony. Dozens and dozens of specimens were found, including eggs, embryos, and young still in nests. This showed that dinosaurs such as Maiasaura did have a degree of parental care. More recent studies have shown the parents weren't that protective of their offspring after all, but the discovery was still important. The anatomy of Maiasaura is pretty standard for a hadrosaur. Its skull is wide, beaked, and crestless, and like other hadrosaurs it has batteries of hundreds of tiny teeth that make short work of plant matter. Adult Maiasaura are primarily quadrupedal, while juveniles are primarily bipeds. It is adapted to drought-stricken scrublands, and has a versatile diet - including rotting wood. Baby Maiasaura were born potentially unable to walk, and required some parental care. Even though they stayed near the nest, there is a high mortality rate among first-year Maiasaura. If they survive, they grow rapidly - sexual maturity is reached at age 3, and skeletal maturity is reached at age 8. We have a herd of Maiasaura in the Campanian Plains exhibit. The herd tends to associate with the Nasutoceratops they share the exhibit with. |
Scientific name Location Time Length Diet |