Named By: | C. C. Young in 1958 |
Time Period: | Late Cretaceous, 70 Ma |
Location: | China, Shandong Province |
Size: | 10 meters long |
Diet: | Herbivore |
Fossil(s): | At least two individuals, possibly more |
Classification: | | Chordata | Reptilia | Dinosauria | Ornithischia | Ornithopoda | Hadrosauridae | Lambeosaurinae | |
Also known as: | | Tanius laiyangensis | |
Tsintaosaurus (meaning "Qingdao lizard", after the old transliteration "Tsingtao") is a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur from China. It was about 10 metres (33 ft) long, 3.6 metres (12 ft) tall and weighed 3 tons. The type species is Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus, first described by Chinese paleontologist C. C. Young in 1958.
A hadrosaur, Tsintaosaurus had a characteristic 'duck bill' snout and a battery of powerful teeth which it used to chew vegetation. It usually walked on all fours, but could rear up on its hind legs to scout for predators and flee when it spotted one. Like other hadrosaurs, Tsintaosaurus probably lived in herds.