Shantungosaurus Giganteus is considered as the largest hadrosaur or those dinosaurs with snouts like that of a duck that has ever walked the Earth during the Late Cretaceous Period. This behemoth was estimated to have weighed 15 tons and 50 feet in length. The diet of this dinosaur is mostly plants which were defined by its long and flat beak.
Fossils of this herbivorous dinosaur were found in Shandong Peninsula’s Wangshi Formation in China. Those fossilized remains that were recovered in the Shandong Peninsula include vertebrae, limb bones ad skull bones. This dinosaur was first described in 1973, Chinese paleontologist Xing Xu and colleagues indicated that this plant eating behemoth shares a lot of unique characteristics and is very similar to the Edmontosaurus. And in 2007, the recovered specimens in Shadong were classified as the new genus as well as species Zhuchengosaurus maximus. But further studies about the 2007 development revealed that the allegedly distinct characteristics of the Zhuchengosaurus are just a result of the different stages in the growth of Shantungosaurus Giganteus.
Shantungosaurus Giganteus is one of the largest and longest known hadrosaurids. A skeleton of this dinosaur which was displayed at the Geological Institute of Chine in Beijing showed that the length of the Shantungosaurus measures 14.72 meters and its skull is 1.63 meters long. A composite skeleton of this dinosaur measures more than 16 meters, making it the biggest known ornithischian and non-sauropod dinosaur. The long tail of this dinosaur is believed to have served as a balancing medium for its massive weight at their hips. The structure of this dinosaur showed that they walk with their four feet. They also have a very stout limb bones in the back which they need to support their bulking size ad to escape from their enemies.
This dinosaur just like all of the other hadrosaurs has a toothless beak but the jaws were composed of about 1500 small teeth which they use for chewing their food which is plants. Its nostrils have a large hole which is supposedly covered with a flap which they can inflate in order to make a sound. There is no known reason why there is a hole near their nostrils but maybe they use it to communicate with the other Shantungosaurus especially when there is trouble around or to attract a partner during the mating season. The Shantungosaurus Giganteus has also the used sound created by this hole as a means of defending their territory against invaders and hunters.
To date, the complete and assembled skeletal remains of the Shantungosaurus Giganteus are those that were excavated in the Shandong Peninsula in China. The remains of these individuals are those found mixed in one area or fossil bed. The discovery of their fossils is a very good clue about the lifestyle of these gentle giants. Many paleontologists believed that the Shantungosaurus Giganteus have roamed the wooded areas of the eastern Asian region in herds in order to avoid those hungry raptors and tyrannosaurs who crave for their meat. These predators are equipped well with their sharp claws and jaws which make them easy to take down adult Shantungosaurus Giganteus if they hunt in groups.
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