1.9" Edmontosaurus Fossil Limb Bone Lance Creek FM Cretaceous Dinosaur WY COA
Location: Lance Creek Formation, Wyoming (Private Land Origin)
Weight: 2 Ounces
Fossil Dimensions: 1.9 Inches Long, 1.7 Inches Wide, 1.4 Inches Thick
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Edmontosaurus (meaning "lizard from Edmonton") is a hadrosaurid dinosaur species from the Maastrichtian, the last stage of the Cretaceous period, dating from 71 to 65 million years ago. A fully grown adult could measure up to nine meters in length, with some of the larger species reaching thirteen meters. Its weight was around 3. 3.5 tonnes, making it one of the largest hadrosaurids.
Edmontosaurus possessed muscular and flexible cheeks that enabled it to grind even the toughest vegetation by moving food back and forth across its teeth. Its mouth housed densely packed tooth “banks” containing up to sixty rows, with new teeth continuously replacing those lost, a process comparable to that of sharks. The upper jaw bones could flex outward as the lower jaw rose, facilitating effective grinding between the mandibles. Fossilized remains indicate its diet mainly consisted of conifer needles, seeds, and twigs, underscoring its role as a herbivore that browsed on tree foliage.
The 1908 Wyoming discovery is significant due to the preservation of fossilized skin impressions of Edmontosaurus. The swift desiccation of the skin and its imprint in sediment produced detailed preservation, revealing a scaly, leathery integument with thigh muscles located just beneath the skin. This morphology suggests the leg extended from the knee, with the thigh fully enveloped by skin, contributing to its duck-like appearance. The specimen also exhibited numerous tubercles along the neck, back, and tail. Edmontosaurus was primarily bipedal, though capable of quadrupedal locomotion; forelimbs were shorter than hind limbs but capable of weight-bearing. The manus had two hooved digits with pads resembling those of Camarasaurus, while the pes featured two hooked toes. Robust musculature supported the lower limbs. The downward curvature of the shoulder region implies a low browsing posture. Despite robust limbs, Edmontosaurus was likely slow and minimally defended, relying on acute vision, hearing, and olfaction for predator detection.
