Reptiles are almost always solitary. But that's not the case with Maiasaura and Gryposaurus . These large plant-eating dinosaurs lived during the late Cretaceous period, 76 to 77 million years ago. They are highly social animals and may be surrounded by thousands of others of their own kind.
Both Maiasaura and Gryposaurus are part of a family of dinosaurs called hadrosaurs. Also known as duck-billed dinosaurs.
ROM has nearly complete specimens of both dinosaurs. Cast from the original fossil skeleton of ROM, Maiasaura is the most complete specimen of this dinosaur in the world. Gryposaurus, on the other hand, displays almost entirely original fossils.
The skeletons are reddish brown. Maiasaura is 6.7 meters long and stands almost 2.7 meters above the ground. Behind it, the fossil of a Gryposaurus is embedded in a large rectangular sandstone panel in which it was found. Only its right side is visible.
This Gryposaurus was the first dinosaur skeleton collected by the museum in 1918 and has been on display for nearly a hundred years.
Both Maiasaura and Gryposaurus tell us about the social lives of dinosaurs. The large bonebeds of these species show us that not all dinosaurs lived alone! By living in groups, hadrosaurs like this could work together to protect each other and their young from predators.
In fact, Maiasaura was the first dinosaur to show scientists that dinosaurs cared for their young. The name of Maiasaura means "good mother lizard ". In front of Maiasaura, you will find two small babies.
Some studies suggest that duck-billed dinosaur nests could hold more than 20 eggs at a time. Hatchlings are born unable to walk, or at least not very well. This has led some scientists to believe that parents must bring food, such as leaves, seeds and berries, to their babies until the young are old enough to leave the nest. This was probably a few weeks after they hatched.