Hadrosaurs

Lambeosaurus

Iguanadon.

    Iguanodon is a large Herbivorous dinosaur that is believed by Evolutionists to have lived between 130-120 million years ago in Asia, Europe and North America. Iguanodon was in fact the second Dinosaur ever discovered in fossil form, Megalosaurus being the very first. While Iguanodon has been known for almost as long as the word "Dinosaur" has been in existance, it ahs probably undergoen more changes in looks and representation than any other Dinosaur known. When first discovered in the form of single bones and no complete skeleton, the artistic rendition was essentially a huge Iguana including a horn on it's nose. Later reconstructions of the animal led to several different postures, though most were quadrapedal (walked on all four legs), some were of a semi-vertical, tripod stance where the animal was shown to walk on it's hind legs stabilizing with it's dragging tail. However thanks to science and continued findings, Iguanodon was eventually given the chiropratic treatment it needed and was placed in it's current horizontal posture. This helped clear up many unanswered questions about it's anatomy and posture.

    Iguanodon's most telltale feature is undoubtedly its large thumb spike. Originally thought to be a horn, the spike was placed on the animals nose similar to that of a Triceratops. Later findings of more complete skeletons showed that the spike was on the "thumb" and not the nose, it was then placed there on museum specimens. The function of the spike is not 100% established though it is widely accepted that it was, at least mainly, for defensive purposes, used to stab enemies in close combat.

 

    Iguanodon is often considered the Zebra of "it's time" based on several findings. First, it is often assumed or believed that Iguanodn traveled in herds yet this has not been fully confirmed even though it is normally portrayed in Dinosaur media. Most, if not all television specials portray Iguanodon as a herd animal, traveling together for safety and family. While it is quite possible, if not probable that they did form herds or family groups, it is still not 100% accepted.

    Another reason that Iguanodon are compared to Zebra's is the recent discovery of "Zebra stripes" in fossilized Iguanodon skin. A finding that shocked and thrilled many. Most Dinosaur species have left no clues as to their skin patterning, such a discovery can help us to understand how the animal traveled and defended itself, as well as if it used any coloration or patterning for mating pruposes. An animals pattern and coloring is one of the msot vital aspects to understanding it's behaviour. If an animal is camoflagued for instance, it likely stays hidden as much as it can, blending in to its surroundings. If an animal is brightly colored, it most likely does not hide.  However stripes similar to a Zebras means that they were most likely herd animals and used their coloration to confuse predators by moving in a group and therfore making it hard to determine where one animal begins and another one ends, to the predator its jsut one large hypnotizing herd of stripes that is confusing.

    At 20 to possibly 42 feet long, around 12 foot to the top of the back, and 3.5 tons in weight, Iguanodon was a essentially a reptilian Zebra the size of an elephant. It would have been a mighty good sourve of meat for any creature that took one down and was likely preyed on by anything large and predatory be it Spinosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, Deinonychus, Smilodon, humans, and anything else that tried and succeeded, much like the Zebra of the African plains that it is compared to.

Parasaurolophus.

    Parasaurolophus Walkeri to be more exact in the case of the subspecies pictured here. The creature was first desecribed in 1922 when the first specimen was discovered in Alberta, Canada. It is the most poular and well known of the the Hadrosaur dinosaurs, possibly because of its interesting headcrest. The length of Parasaurolophus was 31 feet and it was believed to weigh slightly under 3 tons. As mentioned before, Parasaurolophus is a Hadrosaurid dinosaur, it was also both bipeidal and quadrapeidal. It was believed to live 73-76 million years ago in the late Cretaceous era and was believed to have been a swamp/marsh dwelling animal that fed on the vegetation.

 

    The crest on the head has been found to not only be hollow but comprised of an intricate system of connected passages through which air flowed. Some Creationists believe that Parasaurolophus may have used this system to "breathe fire" or expel flames from its nostrils, however this is unlikely since there seems to be no means the animal could have used to expel fire from its nostrils and not severely burn itself. Most contend that the hollow tube filled crest was used in a form of communication by means of sounds being produced. The latter is mostly likely what it was used for, yet we may never know the true use of the hollow crest.

It may interest the reader to know that around the world there are numerous accounts by natives of animals remarkably similar to Parasaurolophus and other Hadrosaurud Dinosaurs. Many treat these account as legends even though the native people insist that they are/were real creatures.

Shantungosaurus

Maiasaura

Edmontosaurus

Corythosaurus