| Telmatosaurus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Ornithischia |
| Suborder: | Ornithopoda |
| Genus: | †Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus |
Telmatosaurus is a Hadrosauroid from maastrichtian south east Europe. It was smaller than many other hadrosauroids due to insular dwarfism, growing to approximately 5 metres in length. Its name means 'marsh lizard'.
Environment[]
Hațeg Island was a large island featuring swamp-like environments in western cretaceous Europe, and home to many other dinosaur species such as Magyarosaurus, a dwarf sauropod of only six metres. Pterosaurs such as Hatzegopteryx fed on these dwarf dinosaurs, likely including Telmatosaurus. Zalmoxes was a bipedal ornithopod that accompanied Telmatosaurus, and a somewhat symbiotic relationship between the animals may have been present - the Telmatosaurus stripping newly evolved flowering plants of their leaves as the Zalmoxes ate the fallen fruits from the ground, clearing the ground and feeding themselves.
Behavior[]
Like other hadrosaursoids, Telmatosaurus likely travelled in herds for 'safety in numbers', due to the threats of the top dinosaur predator Balaur, a flightless bird. Due to their habitat, they likely fed on broad-leaved trees and horsetails near the water's edge. This means that they were likely prey of crocodiles.
In the Media[]
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