Todd
Marshall
Anatomy
Maiasaura was a large, herbivore, duck billed dinosaur
with a flat skull and small crests in front of the
eyes. It had a toothless beak, with cheek pouches
and and a thick nose. Each hand had four fingers and
the feet had hoof like claws. Maiasauras measured
30 feet (9 meters) long, 6-8 feet (2-2.5 meters) tall,
weighing 3-4 tons. Newly hatched Maiasaura babies
were about 1 foot (30 cm) long. Maiasauras were the
first dinosaurs to be found alongside their young,
eggs, and nests. It lived in herds and it raised its
young in these nesting colonies. The nests, containing
30 to 40 eggs, were made of earth, and were guarded
by the parents. The eggs had about the size of ostrich.
Its newborns were about a 1 foot (0.3 meter) long.
Nests are about 25-30 feet apart, just about the size
of an adult Maiasaura. In Montana, one group of over
40 nests covers 2.5 acres of land that was an island
during the late Cretaceous. It seems it lived in large
herds, some that may have contained as many as 10,000
animals. With so many mouths to feed, the search for
food was a continual process, and scientist believe
that the Maiasaura herds migrated along well known
routes throughout the seasons of the year, always
knowing the best places were find adequate supplies
of food.
Time
Periods and Habitat
Maiasaura
lived during the late Cretaceous period, about 80
to 65 million years ago. Other carnivore dinosaurs
of its time were Velociraptor, Albertosaurus, Troodon,
Tyrannosaurus rex, Ankylosaurus, Parasaurolophus,
Corythosaurus, and Dryptosaurus.
Mobility
Maiasaura
was both a quadripedal and bipedal, and was a relatively
fast dinosaur. Maiasaura's front legs were much shorter
than the rear legs. it had no defense against carnivores,
excepting, perhaps, its heavy muscular tail and its
herd behavior. Running was their only means of escaping
carnivores such as Albertosaurus and Troodon. 
Eating
Habits
Maiasaura was an herbivore. An adult of this size
would need to eat about 200 pounds per day. The existence
of herds might also suggest the necessity of seasonal
migratory movements to feed such a large group of
animals.
Discovery
Maiasaura
was discovered by dinosaur paleontologist Jack Horner.
He named the dinosaur after a series of nests with
remains of eggshells and hatchlings. This was the
first prove of giant dinosaurs raising and feeding
their young. Over 200 specimens, adults, hatchlings,
juveniles, nests, eggs and embryos have been found.
Maiasaura was first discovered in Montana, USA.
