Herbivore dinosaurs are a diverse group of prehistoric creatures. Some examples include Moschops, Stegosaurus, Chubutisaurus, Ankylosaurus, and Hesperosaurus.
Chubutisaurus
Chubutisaurus was a herbivore dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period. It was a large long-necked animal.
Chubutisaurus was known for its humped back and its long neck. The dinosaur weighed around 10880 kilograms (24000 pounds).
Chubutisaurus is a member of the Dinosauria. This genus was one of the last Sauropods to roam the Earth.
When the dinosaurs went extinct, many factors played a part in the extinction. A large part of the population was carnivores. However, 65% of the population was herbivores.
Several dinosaurs were herbivores, including the early hadrosaur and the five-horned herbivore. These dinosaurs had flat teeth and a unique digestive tract. Some of them kept food in pouches in their cheeks.
They were also characterized by their long snouts and spikes on their heads. Other sauropods were not herbivores. They were also territorial, and would fight over females.
During the late Jurassic period, there were several large sauropods. One of these was called Chromogisaurus, which was two meters long and lived in argentina.
Another was Chilantaisaurus, which was a carnivore. It was 36 feet long and weighed over 220 pounds.
Another large sauropod was the Chuanjiesaurus, which grew up to 25 meters in length. Despite its size, it was only a medium-sized dinosaur.
Finally, there was Diplodocus, which was a very large dinosaur. Unlike other sauropods, Diplodocus did not chew its food. Instead, it swallowed plants whole without chewing. To survive, it needed massive amounts of plant material.
The early and mid-Jurassic periods were dominated by herbivores, and the late Cretaceous period saw the emergence of carnivores. In fact, 35% of the population of dinosaurs were carnivores.
In the Late Cretaceous, the only herbivores left were the five-horned herbivore and the ceratopsian.
Ankylosaurus
Ankylosaurus is a large herbivore dinosaur that inhabited the late Cretaceous period. This spiky lizard grew between 6 and 8 meters in length. It is part of a larger group of ornithischian dinosaurs called the Ankylosauridae.
In its most basic form, Ankylosaurus had a long, sturdy body with a squat head and two horns on its back. It was covered with thick bands of armour. The armor consisted of small knobs of bone embedded into the skin. Some of the knobs had spiky edges.
Ankylosaurus had a beak that was narrow enough to help it strip leaves from plants. It also had a club-like protrusion on its tail.
Ankylosaurus specialized in eating a lot of low-lying vegetation. When it came time to feed, Ankylosaurus would flip over to its side. The spikes on the tail would then fend off predators.
In the Late Cretaceous, Ankylosaurus lived in North America, Europe, and Africa. Fossils of this lizard have been found in Alberta, Canada, and Montana.
One of the most famous rivals to Ankylosaurus was Triceratops. This herbivore dinosaur had a beak like Ankylosaurus, but it also had a pair of horns on its head. Both Ankylosaurus and Triceratops were herbivores, and they were well-protected against carnivorous dinosaurs.
Ankylosaurus is not as large as Apatosaurus, but it weighed about four tons. Because of its size, it was a formidable creature.
The skull of Ankylosaurus is a triangular shape. Two horns were positioned on its back, with a row of irregularly edged teeth on the other side.
Ankylosaurus had ossified tendons that allowed it to swing its tail with incredible force. A thick club at the end of its tail was held up by seven vertebrae.
Hesperosaurus
Hesperosaurus was a plant-eating stegosaurid dinosaur, primarily found in the Morrison Formation of the Jurassic period. It lived during the late Jurassic, between the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian epochs.
It was a limbless herbivore that swung its tail in defense. It probably ate ferns, cycads, and horsetails.
Hesperosaurus fossils have been discovered in Wyoming and Montana. The holotype, a cast of the specimen, is housed in the Denver Museum of Natural History.
Hesperosaurus had a four-pronged thagomizer, a large tail weapon that served as its defensive tool. While it was not a very active animal, it did swing its tail at an average speed of 80mph.
A number of well-preserved specimens have been identified, and many of these skeletons are exhibited at the Aathal Dinosaur Museum in Switzerland. But it is not known which specimens belong to which species.
There is a holotype of a Hesperosaurus, named Hesperosaurus mjosi. This is from the Morrison Formation in the western United States.
The holotype showed a convex head, ten neck and back plates, and a hyoid. Both the neck and back plates were wider than the plates on Stegosaurus. However, the cervicodorsal vertebrae on Hesperosaurus were different than those on Stegosaurus.
Other stegosaurids include Hylaeosaurus, Hironosaurus, and Dacentrurus. Each of these genus had a distinct name.
Hesperosaurus is related to Stegosaurus, which was a large stegosaurid that grew to about 6 meters in length. These dinosaurs both had a large head, short forelimbs, and long, thick tails. They were both oviparous. Their eggs were fertilized inside the female’s body.
As a plant-eating stegosaur, Hesperosaurus ate plants and small mosses. It avoided small carnivores. Like many other stegosaurs, it used a thagomizer for defense. In addition to this weapon, it also had a swiveling tail.
Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus was a large herbivore dinosaur that lived in the Jurassic period. It was a large, heavy, bus-sized quadruped that ate low-calorie plants. It had a long spiky tail that it sported for display.
The fossils of Stegosaurus are found in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. These are dated to 155 to 145 million years ago. Among the species are Stegosaurus ungulatus, Stegosaurus armatus, and Stegosaurus brachyurus.
One of the best-known stegosaurians is Stegosaurus ungulatus, which was able to grow to seven meters in length. Other stegosaurians include Kentrosaurus, Ankylosaurus, and Triceratops. Besides being a carnivore, Stegosaurus also ate grasses, cyclads, and low-growing clover mosses.
Some scientists believe that Stegosaurus was able to stand on its hind legs to reach higher-growing plants. However, the bones on the back of the stegosaur were not solid, but rather lattice-like structures made of bone material called osteoderms.
In the 1980s, Stephen Czerkas revived the idea of a single row of plates on the back of stegosaurians. His arrangement was based on the dorsal spines of iguanas.
Although the exact function of these stegosaur plates is still debated, one theory is that they were used for the regulation of the temperature of the animal. Another is that the plates were for protection from predators.
Whether or not Stegosaurus was a herbivore, it is easy to recognize because of its distinctive upright plates on its back. It is also famous for the four spikes that adorn its tail.
In fact, Stegosaurus has been featured in many movies. For example, it appears in King Kong. Also, it has been featured in the “Carnivores” games.
Despite its ferocious appearance, Stegosaurus is a relatively harmless dinosaur. When confronted with a predator, it will flee.
Moschops
Moschops was a genus of therapsid dinosaurs. It was one of the largest herbivores of its time. It lived in South Africa during the late Permian period.
Moschops was about 16 feet long. It had a barrel-shaped body. This allowed it to ferment a lot of plant matter. Unlike most dinosaurs, it had a short tail.
The skull of Moschops was wide and sturdy. It had a small opening for the pineal organ.
In addition to grazing on plants, Moschops also had teeth. Its front teeth were shaped like chisel-like tools, while its back teeth were blunt. These teeth may have been used to grind plant material.
The large, girthy skull was likely used to carry its heavy body around. Because of its anatomy, Moschops was able to walk on four legs, but had a very slow pace.
Moschops’ anatomy might have allowed it to survive in a semi-aquatic habitat. Since it had a short tail, it could have used its head as a means of diving.
Some research has shown that it may have had carnivorous capabilities during times of extreme famine. It was also thought to have been preyed upon by carnivorous therapsids.
When it came to food, Moschops mainly ate berries. But it was also known to eat Myrica, olives, and pomegranates.
Moschops may have had a very complex, social life. Fossils indicate that it lived in packs. And it was believed that it engaged in head-butting. However, this is not proven.
Researchers have found that Moschops had a strong, protective armor on its snout. This was probably intended to protect the brain from injury.
During the Triassic extinction event, up to 70% of all terrestrial vertebrate species went extinct. Among those who survived, most were herbivores.