Herbivore dinosaurs are among the more interesting kinds of animals to watch. They are not as well-known as other types of dinosaurs, but they are important to know. Besides eating plants, herbivores also have a wide range of other adaptations that make them unique.
Triceratops
Triceratops is a type of dinosaur that is known to have lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous period. This particular species was large and herbivorous. In addition to eating plants, it was also capable of fighting off predators.
It possessed a large and horny skull, as well as two larger horns on the top of its skull. The last horn was on the tip of its beak.
Triceratops was known to have lived in herds and was capable of defending itself against predators. The horns were most likely used for defense, but they could also have served as display structures.
During its lifetime, Triceratops was able to grow to a height of about 10 feet (3 metres). It also walked on four stout legs. They were held in a semi-erect position, enabling the animal to push over large plants.
In addition to its horns, Triceratops also had a large bony frill around its neck. In addition, it had an extremely sharp and hard beak.
Besides eating plants, Triceratops also laid eggs. Its body was huge and bulky, and it was able to grow to about thirty-five feet long. A number of Triceratops skulls have been discovered. Some of these skulls are complete, while others are only partial.
Triceratops was part of the Marginocephalia suborder. Other members of the family included five-horned Pentaceratops and Bagaceratops.
The skull of Triceratops was one of the largest land animals ever found. Its head was approximately one-third of its body length, making it a very large and imposing creature. During its life, Triceratops was capable of weighing up to twelve thousand pounds.
The skull of Triceratops is known from a partial specimen, a number of which have been recovered in Western Canada and the United States.
Argentinosaurus
The Argentinosaurus (pronounced AHR-gen-tEEN-uh-SAWR-us) was a huge dinosaur that lived in South America during the Early to Middle Cretaceous period. It is thought to have weighed up to 70 tons.
Argentinosaurus was a large herbivore, akin to elephants, and was believed to have eaten leaves from tall trees. It was thought that Argentinosaurus used its long tail to fight off predators.
Argentinosaurus was the largest animal known to have ever existed. It was found in the country of Argentina.
Argentinosaurus was part of the sauropod dinosaur group. Like the other sauropods, Argentinosaurus ate plants, though some scientists have suggested that it may have also been a browser.
Argentinosaurus lived during the Jurassic Period and the Late Cretaceous. In addition to being a herbivore, Argentinosaurus was a member of the titanosaur family.
Scientists have discovered that Argentinosaurus grew to an adult size of 35 to 45 meters. However, the actual length of the animal is still unknown.
Some scientists believe that Argentinosaurus was the largest land animal to have ever existed. The Argentinosaur is also considered the heaviest land animal to have ever lived. This is because Argentinosaurs grew to over 60 times their original size, which means that a mature Argentinosaurus weighed at least 90 to 110 tons.
Despite its impressive size, Argentinosaurus was not well-defended. While some smaller herbivores were able to defeat it, a large predator would have caused severe damage to Argentinosaurus.
There is evidence that Argentinosaurus had two sets of ribs, one on each side of its body. This helps to explain how Argentinosaurus could have a strong neck. Other evidence suggests that the Argentinosaur’s skeleton was constructed in a manner that helped to support its heavy weight.
Micropachycephalosaurus
Micropachycephalosaurus is a small, herbivore dinosaur that was discovered in China. It was originally classified as a member of the pachycephalosaur family, but was later identified as part of the cerapoda.
It was found in the cliffs of Shandong Province, southwest of Laiyang. The fossils were reconstructed from a single skeletal fragment. This is the first specimen in the order Ceratopsia that has been reconstructed from a complete fossil.
Micropachycephalosaurus lived in the Cretaceous period, between 69 and 68 million years ago. It was a bipedal, small herbivore. Although it was considered one of the smaller pachycephalosaurs, it was actually much larger than the other members of the pachycephalosaur genera.
Micropachycephalosaurus had a long neck and was a leaf eater. It was able to push its opponents with its skull. However, the skull may not have been used for this purpose. Instead, it may have been a tool for thermoregulation and/or attractiveness.
It was only 35 centimeters high. A similar-looking species is called Tescelosaurus, but it was not classified as a pachycephalosaur.
It is now classified as a ceratopsia, a group of horned frilled dinosaurs. The genus Liaoceratops is the most primitive in this clade. Another example is Parkososaurus, which was found in Canada.
Despite being small, Micropachycephalosaurus was active throughout the day. It ate plants, which were abundant in the area. But, it did not worry about climbing trees. In fact, other specimens of its time did not care.
Micropachycephalosaurus did not have a skull roof. Some believe that the lack of a skull roof is an indication that it was not a pachycephalosaur, but rather a ceratopsian. It is not certain that this is the case, but it is a possible explanation.
Mamenchisaurus
Mamenchisaurus was a large, herbivorous dinosaur that lived in the Late Jurassic Period. It grew between 16 and 25 meters long. This plant eater was able to reach more vegetation than smaller, more herbivorous dinosaurs. In fact, it is considered to be the largest known sauropod species.
Mamenchisaurus was a member of the clade Mamenchisauridae, which is also referred to as the Reptile of Mamenchi. The family name is derived from the location where the fossil was discovered, which is Mamen Brook in Sichuan, China. However, it is unclear whether all of the species of Mamenchisaurus were legitimate.
InGen, a company, cloned Mamenchisaurus on Isla Sorna in the early 1990s. Later, the company moved the de-extinct animal to Isla Nublar, where it was released into the wild.
Although Mamenchisaurus is a herbivore, it has been observed eating seeds and cycads as secondary food sources. The creature is thought to have lived on horsetails, ferns, and conifers, as well as other types of vegetation.
Mamenchisaurus’s long neck allowed it to reach conifers and soft pteridophytes. It may have adapted to the environment by traveling in herds.
Mamenchisaurus had a pronounced, paddle-shaped mouth. It had blunt teeth to help with its stripping of foliage. Its front teeth were also blunt.
Mamenchisaurus was oviparous, meaning that it laid its eggs while it walked. Because of the absence of nests, it is unclear how the animal hatched.
As a large, heavy animal, Mamenchisaurus would have needed large amounts of energy to travel and move around. Therefore, it may have eaten a huge amount of foliage each day. When its food became scarce, it would travel to other lands.
Mamenchisaurus had sloping shoulders, which allowed it to maintain a comfortable walking posture. It was also a slow-moving, all-fours-moving animal.
Psittacosaurus
Psittacosaurus was a small, herbivore dinosaur that lived in the Cretaceous Period. It grew to approximately two meters in length. The name is derived from Greek words meaning psittakos and sauros, and it was named by paleontologist Henry Fairfield Osborn in 1923.
Psittacosaurus is one of the earliest ceratopsian dinosaurs, and it has an unusual anatomy. It has a novel isognathous jaw mechanism that allows it to make vertical and horizontal movements of its teeth. This mechanism was also used by a species called Protoceratops.
Psittacosaurus had a powerful upper jaw that could slash through plant stems. However, it lacked elaborate horns. During the Early Cretaceous, the family included several species. Some species had bony frills and stones in their stomachs.
Psittacosaurus also had a long, quill-like tail structure. These were likely primarily for display purposes, as the quills would have been insignificant for insulation.
Several species of Psittacosaurus were discovered. Some, such as Psittacosaurus neimongoliensis, have nearly complete skeletons, while others, such as Psittacosaurus gobiensis, have only a partial skeleton.
Psittacosaurus sattayaraki is a ceratopsian dinosaur from Thailand. It is the smallest and most primitive of the family. Another Psittacosaurus species, Psittacosaurus meileyingensis, is a new species from northeastern China.
Psittacosaurus has an exceptionally diverse range of species. These include large and small members that are typically differentiated by the shape of the skull and the length and roundness of the limbs. There are a few exceptions, including Psittacosaurus ordosensis, which is the smallest known species. And, some of the younger Psittacosaurus individuals have stripes.
In addition to its unique anatomy, Psittacosaurus has many anatomical characteristics in common with other ceratopsian dinosaurs, such as the presence of long, parrot-like beaks. Psittacosaurus also possesses a complex isognathous jaw mechanism that combines horizontal and vertical movements of its teeth.