Large, Heavy Edmontosaurus Caudal Vertebrae

This is a large, solid caudal (tail) vertebra of Edmontosaurus annectens, a Hadrosaur commonly referred to as a "Duck-Billed Dinosaur" It is nicely preserved, but one interesting feature is the area where the neural canal would be is preserved as an ironstone cast. This ironstone preservation makes the piece much heavier than would be expected. It comes from the Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota. There is no repair or restoration on this specimen.

Hadrosaurs

are frequently referred to as duck-billed dinosaurs and are members of the Ornithischian family Hadrosauridae. They were fairly common herbivores that roamed Asia, Europe, and North America during the Upper Cretaceous Period. Many species of Hadrosaurs had distinctive crests on their heads, some of which had air-filled chambers that may have produced a distinct sound. These crests may have been used for both audio and visual display purposes.

More about Hadrosaurs