Herbivore Dinosaurs : Dinosaurs, as what we have observed in the media, are characterized as ferocious meat-eating reptilian predators. But believe it or not, only 35% of the total general dinosaur population was composed of carnivores.
The remaining 65% were herbivores! It is important to note that the success of these herbivorous dinosaurs can be significantly attributed to the special adaptations of their teeth and digestive tract.
In general, they have flat teeth that were perfect for stripping and grinding plant materials and specialized stomach acids to digest cellulose. The only way to determine their exact diet is to find their fossilized remains
Excited yet? Let’s not have much ado, welcome to the wonderful world of pre-historic plant eating dinosaurs ! Don’t miss out the flying dinosaurs
Herbivore Dinosaurs
1. Triceratops (†Triceratops horridus) Kingdom Order Family Genus Species Animalia †Ornithischia †Ceratopsidae †Triceratops †Triceratops horridus
Royal Tyrrell Museum at Drumheller, Alberta, Canada Coming from the 3 Greek syllables “
tri ” which means “
three “, “
kéras “, which means “
horn “, and “
ops ” which means “
face “, Triceratops are herbivore dinosaurs that existed in the regions of North America during the end of the Cretaceous period.
Being herbivores, Triceratops fed on shrubs and plants In addition to this, they also had horns and bulk used to reach huge plants.
2. Dracorex (†Dracorex hogwartsia) Kingdom Order Family Genus Species Animalia †Ornithischia †Pachycephalosauridae †Dracorex †Dracorex hogwartsia
Children’s Museum of Indianapolis The Dracorex is an herbivorous dinosaur that existed during the late Cretaceous period. This dinosaur reached up to 4 feet high and 21 feet long and weighed about a hundred pounds. It is characterized by its long snout and a skull with numerous spikes and bumps.
At present, it is still being debated whether this dinosaur is an herbivore or not. This dinosaur had extremely sharp teeth with many serrations; thus, some scientists Its species name Dracorex hogwartsia is an honor to the popular book series Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling. Basically, the name means the “dragon king of Hogwarts[1] “.
3. Moschops (†Moschops capensis) Kingdom Order Family Genus Species Animalia Therapsida †Tapinocephalidae †Moschops †Moschops capensis
American Museum of Natural History at Manhattan, New York City, NY Moschops is a genus of a prehistoric herbivorous mammal-like reptile that existed during the Permian Period. Much of their remains were excavated in the region called Karoo in South Africa.
In that habitat, the Moschops was the largest herbivore (also the largest animal). It is characterized by its massive body (about 5 meters long) and thick skull, but with very short yet heavy tail. Technically, Moschops wasn’t a dinosaur but they had an important evolutionary linkage to dinosaurs before they came into existence. As mentioned above, Moschops had an herbivorous lifestyle as characterized by it peg-like teeth which are adapted for chewing plants.
4. Argentinosaurus (†Argentinosaurus huinculensis) Kingdom Order Family Genus Species Animalia Saurischia †Antarctosauridae †Argentinosaurus †Argentinosaurus huinculensis
Carmen Funes Municipal Museum at Plaza Huincul, Neuquén Province, Argentina. The next herbivore dinosaur in this list is the Argentinosaurus
[2] , which could have possibly been the largest and most massive terrestrial animal that ever existed. The Argentinosaurus lived an herbivorous lifestyle as it fed on plants present during the Jurassic up to the end of the Cretaceous period. It had long neck to be able to reach tree tops easily.
Literally, the name of this dinosaur means “silver lizard “. fossils of the Argentinosaurus were first excavated in South America in 1988. Despite this, at present, only very little information is known about this species[3] of dinosaur.
5. Stegosaurus (†Stegosaurus stenops) Kingdom Order Family Genus Species Animalia †Ornithischia †Stegosauridae †Stegosaurus †Stegosaurus stenops
Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt The Stegosaurus
[4] is known to be a genus of herbivorous dinosaurs that predominantly existed in the regions of western North America during the late Jurassic period.
This herbivore dinosaur is characterized by its toothless beak and small teeth; hence, it can be perceived that such were not fit consuming animal flesh. Unlike other herbivorous beaked dinosaurs (which had strong jaws and teeth for grinding), this dinosaur possess jaws that only allow up and down motions. Among dinosaurs, the Stegosaurus is known for having a relatively small brain and possibly possessing the lowest brain-to-body ratio. This dinosaur, whose name literally mean “roofed lizard “, is most notable due to the presence of plates that lay vertically flattened along its back. In total, this dinosaur had 17 plates (referred to as scutes) that are not solid per se but made up of bony material where blood vessels occur.
6. Edmontosaurus (†Edmontosaurus regalis) Kingdom Order Family Genus Species Animalia †Ornithischia †Hadrosauridae †Edmontosaurus †Edmontosaurus regalis
Denver Museum of Nature and Science Characterized by having a beak-like snout, short arms, yet a very long pointed tail, the next dinosaur in this list is the Edmontosaurus.
This dinosaur lived during the late Cretaceous period up to the late Mesozoic era. Fossils revealed that it was an herbivore as pine cones and needles were found in the dinosaur’s stomach. They also revealed that this dinosaur lacked teeth in its beak but such were found in its cheeks instead.
7. Diplodocus (†Diplodocus longus) Kingdom Order Family Genus Species Animalia Saurischia †Diplodocidae †Diplodocus †Diplodocus longus
Natural History Museum of London Known for being long-necked and whip-tailed, the Diplodocus is considered to be one of the longest terrestrial
animals that ever existed.
Fossils of this herbivorous dinosaur revealed that they existed during the late Jurassic period. Much of these fossils were excavated in the Rocky Mountains of western United States. Due to its massive size, the Diplodocus also required massive amounts of plant material in order to survive. Scientists believed that its blunt teeth functioned for stripping plants as it swallows them whole without even chewing. Interestingly (because of its long neck), this dinosaur had no ability to hold its neck over about 5. 4 meters off the ground.
8. Hadrosaurus (†Hadrosaurus foulkii) Kingdom Order Family Genus Species Animalia †Ornithischia †Hadrosauridae †Hadrosaurus †Hadrosaurus foulkii
Museum of Natural History, Maastricht, the Netherlands Literally meaning “
sturdy lizard “, the Hadrosaurus is a genus of herbivorous dinosaur that existed in parts of North America during the late Cretaceous period.
The beaked Hadrosaurus had teeth and jaw that are specialized for grinding plant material like pine needles and cones. However, it is important to note that only one skeleton of this dinosaur has ever been found. Such fossil also had no skull; hence, it makes it hard for scientists to perform analysis.
9. Nodosaurus (†Nodosaurus textilis) Kingdom Order Family Genus Species Animalia †Ornithischia †Nodosauridae †Nodosaurus †Nodosaurus textilis
Nodosaurus – From the American journal of science, 1880 Another known herbivorous dinosaur is the Nodosaurus
[5] , which is very notable for being one of the few “
armored-plated ” dinosaurs.
This dinosaur was an herbivore characterized by its narrow head and snout. Interestingly, it had palates that separated its mouth to its nasal passages thus making it able to eat and breathe simultaneously. Members of this genus[6] existed from the late Jurassic period up to the early Cretacious period. During this time, the state of Alabama was divided into two: northern part was covered in closed-canopy forests while the southern part by a shallow ocean.
10. Ankylosaurus (†Ankylosaurus magniventris) Kingdom Order Family Genus Species Animalia †Ornithischia †Ankylosauridae †Ankylosaurus †Ankylosaurus magniventris
Musee d’Histoire Naturelle, Brussels Literally meaning “
fused lizard[7] “, the Ankylosaurus is a genus of bony dinosaur that existed in parts of western United States and Canada during the late Cretaceous period.
Like the Stegosaurus, this massive dinosaur had a body also covered in bony plates (called scutes). These scutes occurred in various places in the dinosaur’s body such as the neck, back, and hips. This dinosaur was an herbivore that fed on low-lying plant material. Its presence of beak-like snout allowed it to eat by stripping the leaves of plants. Also, research revealed that it can swallow huge amounts of plants even without eating them.
Which among these herbivorous dinosaurs captured your attention the most?
Cite This Page
All images are from wikimedia commons under the creative commons licenses. [1] – “Dracorex – Facts and Pictures” . Accessed June 13, 2017. Link .[2] – “Argentinosaurus Dinosaur, Facts | Pictures – Argentinosaurus Information.” . Accessed June 13, 2017. Link .[3] – “Argentinosaurus Fact Sheet – EnchantedLearning.com” . Accessed June 13, 2017. Link .[4] – “Stegosaurus: Bony Plates & Tiny Brain” . Accessed June 13, 2017. Link .[5] – “Dinosaurs of the South – Judy Cutchins, Ginny Johnston – Google Books” . Accessed June 13, 2017. Link .[6] – “Nodosaur | Encyclopedia of Alabama” . Accessed June 13, 2017. Link .[7] – “Ankylosaurus: Facts About the Armored Lizard” . Accessed June 13, 2017. Link .
