Name:

Probactrosaurus (Greek for "before Bactrosaurus"); pronounced PRO-back-tro-SORE-us

Habitat:

Woodlands of Asia

Historical Period:

Early Cretaceous (110-100 million years ago)

Size and Weight:

About 18 feet long and 1-2 tons

Diet:

Plants

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Large size; narrow snout with flat cheek teeth; occasional bipedal posture

 

About Probactrosaurus:

As you've probably guessed, Probactrosaurus was named in reference to Bactrosaurus, a well-known hadrosaur (duck-billed dinosaur) of late Cretaceous Asia.


Unlike its more famous namesake, though, Probactrosaurus' status as a true hadrosaur remains in some doubt: technically, this dinosaur has been described as an "iguanodont hadrosauroid," a mouthful that simply means it was perched midway between the Iguanodon-like ornithopods of the early Cretaceous period and the classic hadrosaurs that appeared millions of years later.