This was a dinosaur.
It lived a long time ago. It ate plants for food. It walked on two legs. It had a very long tail.
It was a small dinosaur. Do you like dinosaurs?
This was a plant-eating dinosaur.
It lived in North America. It walked on two legs. A long tail helped it stay balanced.
The dinosaur had a long snout. It had five fingers on its hand. It had four toes on its foot. Its legs were strong but not for running. It had a good sense of smell. Some think it lived in holes in the ground.
This dinosaur lived a very long time ago.
Thescelosaurus was a plant-eating dinosaur. It lived in western North America. It lived during the Late Cretaceous period. This was near the end of the age of dinosaurs.
This dinosaur walked on two legs. It used a long tail to stay balanced. The tail was very stiff. It had rod-like tendons to keep it straight. Its snout was long and low. The tip of the snout had no teeth. It had many different types of teeth.
Its legs were strong. The thigh bone was longer than the shin bone. This means it was not built for fast running. It had a small brain. Scientists think it may have lived in small groups. It had a great sense of smell. It also had a good sense of balance. However, its hearing was not very good.
Some experts think it might have been a burrower. A burrower is an animal that digs holes in the ground. This might be true because of its smell and hearing. Thescelosaurus was quite common in some areas. It lived until about 66 million years ago.
Thescelosaurus was a unique dinosaur that lived in western North America. It lived during the Late Cretaceous period, which was near the end of the age of dinosaurs. This animal was a herbivore, meaning it ate plants. Because it had a narrow snout and special teeth, scientists think it was a selective feeder. This means it likely picked out specific plants to eat rather than eating everything in sight.
This dinosaur moved around on two legs. Its long tail helped it stay balanced while it walked. The tail made up about half of its total body length. To keep the tail stiff, it had rod-like ossified tendons. Thescelosaurus had a long, low snout that ended in a toothless tip. It had five fingers on its hands and four toes on its feet.
Finding these fossils has a long history. In July 1891, John Bell Hatcher and William H. Utterback found a near-complete skeleton in Wyoming. It was found in the Lance Formation. The skeleton sat in an unlabeled box at the Smithsonian Institution for many years. In 1913, the paleontologist Charles W. Gilmore finally opened the box. He was surprised to find a brand new species of dinosaur inside.
Many different places have given us clues about this dinosaur. Fossils have been found in Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. These bones come from places like the Hell Creek Formation and the Frenchman Formation. In the Frenchman Formation, Thescelosaurus may have been the most common dinosaur. It lived until the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event about 66 million years ago.
We can learn a lot by looking at how its body worked. Thescelosaurus had a small brain, so it might have lived in small groups of two or three. Its sense of smell and balance were very sharp. However, its hearing was not very good. Some scientists think it might have been a burrower that lived in holes. This idea comes from the fact that many modern burrowing animals have great smell but poor hearing.
Thescelosaurus was a genus of ornithischian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period. These animals lived in western North America during the late Maastrichtian age. They were part of the Thescelosauridae family. Some scientists call them basal ornithopods, which means they are primitive members of that group. Others place them in the broader group Neornithischia. These dinosaurs were among the last non-avian dinosaurs to exist. They lived until the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event roughly 66 million years ago.
Physically, an adult Thescelosaurus was a specialized herbivore. It had a long, low snout that ended in a toothless tip. Its teeth were of different types and more numerous than those of related animals. This dental structure and its narrow snout suggest it was a selective feeder. This means it likely chose specific plants to eat. The animal moved on two legs. Its long tail made up about half of its total body length. It used this tail for balance. Rod-like ossified tendons stiffened the tail to help with this stability.
We can learn about its lifestyle by looking at its limbs and senses. Thescelosaurus had robust limbs. Its femur, or thigh bone, was longer than its tibia, or shin bone. This anatomy suggests it was not adapted for running. Its brain was relatively small. This might mean they lived in small groups of only two or three individuals. The animal had an acute sense of smell and excellent balance. However, its hearing was poor. These traits are similar to modern burrowing animals. Some scientists think Thescelosaurus might have been a burrower.
The history of its discovery is quite unusual. In July 1891, John Bell Hatcher and William H. Utterback found a near-complete skeleton in Wyoming. This was found in the Lance Formation during the "Bone Wars." The skeleton was taken to the Smithsonian Institution. It sat in an unlabeled packing box for many years. In 1913, the paleontologist Charles W. Gilmore opened the box. He discovered it was a new species named Thescelosaurus neglectus. The name comes from Greek words for "lizard" and "watcher." The specific name, neglectus, is Latin for "neglected."
Scientists have identified several species within this genus over time. The type species is T. neglectus. In 1976, William J. Morris described T. garbanii. This species was noted for its unique ankle anatomy and larger size. In 2011, T. assiniboiensis was named. There has been much debate about these classifications. For example, Peter M. Galton suggested that T. edmontonensis was just a robust version of T. neglectus. He later suggested that T. garbanii might belong to its own separate genus. Other fossils, like those assigned to Bugenasaura infernalis, have also caused scientific discussion.
Fossils of Thescelosaurus have been found across a wide geographic range. They have been located in Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. These remains come from several geological formations. These include the Lance, Frenchman, Hell Creek, and Scollard Formations. In the Frenchman Formation, Thescelosaurus may have been the most common dinosaur. This shows they were quite successful in their environment. One specimen, known as "Willo," even provided scale impressions on its leg.
Research into Thescelosaurus continues to change our understanding. In 2000, a specimen found in 1999 gained media attention. Some interpreted it as containing a fossilized heart. However, scientists now doubt that identification. Recent museum work has also changed how we see them. Between 2014 and 2019, the Smithsonian replaced original fossils with plaster casts. This allows researchers to study the original bones more closely. By studying their teeth, limbs, and bones, we continue to piece together the life of these ancient herbivores.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (17)
+ 5 more
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.