During the whole Cretaceous periods, Jurassic periods, and Triassic Periods, dinosaurs have captured our imaginations with their towering giants and fearsome meat eaters, but the prehistoric world was also home to a variety of plant-eating dinosaurs whose brilliance is often overshadowed by the more famous dinosaurs.
In this article, we embark on a journey to uncover the little-known herbivores of the Mesozoic Era, revealing six striking but often overlooked herbivorous dinosaurs.
Although less well-known, these gentle giants and agile little herbivorous dinosaurs played a vital role in shaping prehistoric ecosystems and provided interesting insights into the world of herbivorous dinosaurs.
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Herbivorous dinosaurs are different from carnivorous dinosaurs in that they do not have fangs, but have flat teeth, which can help them easily obtain plant material. At the same time, herbivorous dinosaurs contain an enzyme that can break down plants. Like other plant eaters, like modern birds (ate plants), wildebeests on the grasslands, African buffalo, etc., these digestive enzymes can help them better of digest cellulose.
Let’s have a look! Join us as we step out of the spotlight and discover the extraordinary lives of these little-known herbivorous dinosaurs.
Massospondylus: giant spine born in South Africa
Massospondylus, a herbivore dinosaur of the Early Jurassic, holds a special place in the history of paleontology as one of the earliest known dinosaurs.
This dinosaur’s body was relatively in small size, about 15 feet long and about 4 to 5 feet high at the rump, from what is now South Africa and Zimbabwe.
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Massospondylus’s diet consisted of ferns, cycads, and other plants. Its teeth are suitable for grinding vegetation, proving that it is a herbivore dinosaur.
It has a relatively long neck, which is also to be able to eat the plants on the tree.
This dinosaur has played a key role in our understanding of dinosaur evolution, particularly the transition from two-legs to four-legs locomotion.
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Diplodocus: the longest animal that ever existed on earth
Diplodocus was a group of majestic herbivorous dinosaurs from the Late Jurassic Period, and this is actually one of the famous herbivore dinosaurs, easily recognizable by its trademark very long neck and whip-like long tail.
This gigantic sauropod lived about 15.4 to 152 million years ago and was one of the largest plant-eating dinosaurs on Earth. Diplodocus individuals can be up to 30 meters long and weigh tens of tons. They lived in western North America at the end of the Jurassic period.
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Its unique elongated neck, made up of as many as 15 vertebrae, was ideal for reaching high vegetation, allowing Diplodocus to eat trees and plants that many other herbivores animals could not reach.
Diplodocus is also important in the study of sauropods and their evolution, providing valuable insights into the adaptations of large herbivores in Jurassic landscapes and their unique foraging and survival strategies.
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Hypsilophodon: herbivore dinosaurs good at running
Hypsilophodon was a rather small herbivorous dinosaur that lived from the mid-Jurassic to the late Cretaceous period and was known for its agility and bipedal nature.
This type of dinosaur is an ornithopod and is found throughout Europe and North America. Studies have shown that their habits were very similar to today’s African gazelles. Thanks to their well-developed hind legs and lightweight body, they may be the fastest among ornithopods. The fastest group of herbivorous dinosaurs.
Stegodons adapted to a herbivorous lifestyle and used their sharp beak-like snout for eating plant material. It may feed on a variety of plants, such as ferns, cycads, and conifers.
Fossil evidence suggests that saber-toothed animals may have lived in groups, providing protection from larger carnivores’ predators and helping to find food. Its fossils have been found in Europe, particularly in Britain, making it one of the most famous dinosaurs from the early Cretaceous period in the region.
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Argentinosaurus: super giant dinosaur discovered in Argentina
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Argentinosaurus can be said to be almost the largest herbivore dinosaurs in history, living in the late Cretaceous period, about 94 to 97 million years ago. It is famous for being one of the largest dinosaurs of all the dinosaurs.
This giant sauropod belongs to the class Titanosaurus, a four-legged, herbivorous dinosaur characterized by a massive body and long necks. It is estimated that Argentinosaurus could have reached about 100 feet long (about 30 meters) in length and weighed up to 100 tons, making it one of the heaviest land animals in Earth’s history.
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Fossil evidence for Argentinosaurus is limited, but its discovery in Argentina, particularly in Patagonia, has revealed the incredible diversity and size of the dinosaurs that once inhabited South America during the Late Cretaceous.
Camarasaurus: dome-shaped reptile
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In the late Jurassic period, there existed a group of herbivorous dinosaurs named Camarasaurus, a giant sauropod dinosaur that roamed North America in the late Jurassic period.
Known for its unique appearance, Camarasaurus could grow up to 75 feet long, with a much shorter neck and shorter tail than other dinosaurs, giving it a stockier, stockier build.
One of the distinguishing features of Camarasaurus is its small head compared to its massive body. It had spoon-like and blunt teeth on the front of its jaws, likely used to strip leaves and tough vegetation from trees and shrubs.
Its large and muscular body provided some protection against the many carnivores predators of the time, although it would have had to contend with large theropods such as Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex.
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Dryosaurus: fast and agile runner
Dryosaurus is an elegant and agile dinosaur from the late Jurassic period. It is a herbivore dinosaur that was discovered in the mid and western United States, the United Kingdom, etc. Among the many plant-eating dinosaurs, it was a relatively small ornithopod, measuring about 8 to 14 feet in length.
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Its name means “oak lizard,” reflecting that it probably fed on ferns, conifers, and other plants found in woodlands and forests at the time.
What makes Dryosaurus unique is its slender body shape and long, powerful hind legs, which allow it to move quickly through its surroundings.
At Last
Herbivorous dinosaurs are usually labeled as friendly and harmonious. We have previously introduced the 15 friendliest dinosaurs. If you are interested, you can click to view them.
From the most famous plant-eating dinosaurs to less-known herbivorous dinosaurs, From petite plant-eating dinosaurs to the largest dinosaurs, we always continue to explore the fascinating stories and unique adaptations of these as yet underappreciated creatures on a planet where dinosaurs once lived.
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