View original imageThis is an original generative reconstruction, not a photograph or scientific plate.
88 / Mesozoic
Edmontosaurus
Edmontosaurus annectens
A broad duck bill and dense dental batteries processed huge amounts of vegetation.
Structured expansion · editorial review pending
- Time range
- About 68–66 million years ago
- Final stage
- End of the Cretaceous
- Geographic range
- Western North America
01 / ANSWER FIRST
What was Edmontosaurus?
This archive records Edmontosaurus under the scientific name Edmontosaurus annectens, with an age of About 68–66 million years ago and a range of Western North America. A broad duck bill and dense dental batteries processed huge amounts of vegetation.
Edmontosaurus annectens was a large latest-Cretaceous hadrosaur documented by skeletons and skin impressions. The fleshy head comb reported in 2013 belonged to the different species E. regalis and does not directly establish the same crest in E. annectens.
02 / QUICK FACTS
Edmontosaurus at a glance
- Scientific name
- Edmontosaurus annectens
- Age
- About 68–66 million years ago
- Last recorded stage
- End of the Cretaceous
- Known range
- Western North America
- Broad group
- dinosaur
- Archive era
- Mesozoic
- Habitat signals
- vegetation, prey communities, floodplains and regional climate
- Documented regions
- North America
03 / ANATOMY
How was Edmontosaurus built?
Overall body plan
A broad duck bill and dense dental batteries processed huge amounts of vegetation.
Skull, teeth and display structures
The available record is interpreted through preserved proportions, attachment surfaces, wear and comparison with related organisms. For Edmontosaurus, those observations must be separated from features added only for visual reconstruction.
Limbs, balance and locomotion
Edmontosaurus annectens was a large latest-Cretaceous hadrosaur documented by skeletons and skin impressions. The fleshy head comb reported in 2013 belonged to the different species E. regalis and does not directly establish the same crest in E. annectens.
Growth and individual variation
A single specimen does not define the whole species. Size, maturity, preservation and possible sex differences are considered before anatomical traits are treated as typical of Edmontosaurus.
04 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
How did Edmontosaurus live?
Edmontosaurus annectens was a large latest-Cretaceous hadrosaur documented by skeletons and skin impressions. The fleshy head comb reported in 2013 belonged to the different species E. regalis and does not directly establish the same crest in E. annectens. This ecological reconstruction is strongest where anatomy, associated organisms and the depositional setting point in the same direction.
05 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
What shaped its ecological limits?
Its populations depended on vegetation, prey communities, floodplains and regional climate. Changes in any one factor did not necessarily cause immediate extinction, but interacting pressures could reduce range, recruitment and resilience.
06 / RANGE & HABITAT
Where and when did Edmontosaurus live?
This archive currently lists About 68–66 million years ago; Western North America. Fossil or historical occurrence data describe where evidence has been found, not every place the taxon once occupied. Species-level age and range limits still require source-specific review.
Documented geographic range
Western North America. This boundary can change when specimens are reidentified or new localities are published.
Time window
About 68–66 million years ago, with the final recorded stage listed as End of the Cretaceous. Rock units and dating uncertainty mean the true biological range may extend beyond the known record.
Environmental setting
The archive uses the broad habitat labels vegetation, prey communities, floodplains and regional climate. These labels help explore related records; a habitat reconstruction requires evidence from individual localities.
07 / FOSSIL EVIDENCE
What evidence supports reconstructions of Edmontosaurus?
Primary record
Bonebeds, skin mummies, bite marks and growth series document its biology.
Comparative anatomy
Preserved structures are compared with close and functionally similar organisms. The method can constrain posture and function, but analogy alone cannot prove colour, behaviour or soft tissue.
Age and locality
Stratigraphy and occurrence records place Edmontosaurus within About 68–66 million years ago and Western North America. Reworked fossils and uncertain provenance are treated cautiously.
Open entity records
Links below connect the archive to available taxonomic and occurrence records. A matching name does not verify every ecological claim, and related-taxon links provide comparison rather than an exact species match.
Evidence limits for this record
The soft-tissue comb paper describes E. regalis. This archive names E. annectens, so the crest is a comparison with another species, not direct evidence for this one.
08 / DISAPPEARANCE & DEBATE
Why did Edmontosaurus disappear?
The end-Cretaceous impact eliminated its ecosystems.
The last fossil or observation marks the youngest evidence currently known, not necessarily the death of the final individual. Explanations are strongest when timing, environmental change and population biology agree; otherwise the profile preserves uncertainty instead of assigning a single dramatic cause.
09 / FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Edmontosaurus FAQ
What was Edmontosaurus?
This archive records Edmontosaurus under the scientific name Edmontosaurus annectens, with an age of About 68–66 million years ago. A broad duck bill and dense dental batteries processed huge amounts of vegetation.
When did Edmontosaurus live?
The current archive range is About 68–66 million years ago; its youngest recorded stage is End of the Cretaceous.
Where was Edmontosaurus found?
The archive currently lists Western North America. Species-level locality assignments and the full geographic range still require source-specific review.
How do scientists know about Edmontosaurus?
Bonebeds, skin mummies, bite marks and growth series document its biology.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Completed an AI-assisted bilingual audit of the archive record, corrected identified issues and clarified evidence limits; independent editorial review is pending.
- Expanded into a structured bilingual profile with anatomy, ecology, range, evidence, debate and FAQs; independent editorial review is pending.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS