Thescelosaurus

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.