| Microhadrosaurus | |
|---|---|
| |
| An artist's illustration of Microhadrosaurus nanshiungensis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | †Ornithischia |
| Suborder: | †Ornithopoda |
| Family: | †Hadrosauridae |
| Genus: | †Microhadrosaurus Dong, 1979 |
| Species: | †M. nanshiungensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Microhadrosaurus nanshiungensis Dong, 1979 | |
Microhadrosaurus (meaning "small sturdy lizard" in Greek) is a genus of duckbill dinosaur from the Campanian or Maastrichtian-age Upper Cretaceous Yuanpu Formation (also known as the Nanxiong Formation) of Guangdong, China. Although its name identifies it as a small duckbill, it is based on juvenile remains, and the size of the adult hadrosaur is unknown.
Description[]
Dong Zhiming named this genus for IVPP V4732, a partial lower jaw from a juvenile hadrosaur. This partial bone, with 18 columns of stacked teeth in a typical hadrosaur tooth battery, measures 37 centimeters long (15 inches). Dong later estimated the length of the individual at 2.6 meters (8.5 feet).
History[]
Dong regarded this genus as much like Edmontosaurus, albeit in tiny form. However, Michael K. Brett-Surman, a hadrosaur specialist, regarded the material as showing no characteristics that would allow it to be differentiated from other duckbills. The most recent review accepts Brett-Surman's position, and regards Microhadrosaurus as a dubious name.
Paleobiology[]
As a hadrosaurid, Microhadrosaurus would have been a bipedal/quadrupedal herbivore, eating plants with a sophisticated skull that permitted a grinding motion analogous to chewing, and was furnished with hundreds of continually-replaced teeth. Because it is only known from a partial jaw from a juvenile, little more than general information can be drawn from it at this point.