3.8" Edmontosaurus Fossil Femur Bone Hell Creek FM Cretaceous Dinosaur MT COA
Location: Hell Creek Formation, Montana (Private Land Origin)
Weight: 6.2 Ounces
Fossil Dimensions: 3.8 Inches Long, 3.4 Inches Wide, 0.8 Inches Thick
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Edmontosaurus (meaning "lizard from Edmonton") is a hadrosaurid dinosaur from the Maastrichtian, the last stage of the Cretaceous period, which lasted from 71 to 65 million years ago. An adult could have been up to nine meters long, 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 utilized muscular cheek pouches to maneuver tough plant material across its densely packed teeth, arranged in tightly packed "banks" of up to sixty rows. Like sharks, it continuously replaced lost teeth. The upper jaw bones flexed outward as the lower jaw lifted, facilitating effective mandibular grinding. Fossil evidence reveals a diet consisting of conifer needles, seeds, and twigs, confirming its role as a tree browser. Notably, the 1908 Wyoming specimen preserved fossilized skin impressions, revealing a scaly, leathery texture with thigh muscles beneath the skin. This anatomy made the leg appear to extend at the knee, resembling a duck's structure. Additionally, tubercles were present along the neck, back, and tail.
Edmontosaurus was bipedal but could also have walked on four legs. The forelimbs were shorter than the hind limbs, but not so much that walking on all fours was impossible. Its front feet had two toes with hooves, and weight-bearing pads similar to those of Camarasaurus. The hind feet had two hooked toes. The arrangement of bones in the lower limbs suggests that both the legs and feet were attached to prominent muscles. The spine curved downward at the shoulders, giving Edmontosaurus a low posture and allowing it to browse close to the ground. Despite its strong limbs, it was likely slow-moving and lacked many defensive features. To survive, it probably relied on keen eyesight, hearing, and smell to detect predators early.
