Montana

Montana state fossil: The Duck-billed Dinosaur =Antonio Iniguez=

__Name:__
//Maiasaura peeblesorum. "Maiasaura"// means "good mother lizard."

__Description of the Organism:__
The duck-billed Maiasaura were big herbivore dinosaurs. Their diet consisted of seeds, berries, and about 20 pounds of leaves per day. They had sharp teeth which lined up with their cheeks. It was estimated that they weighed about 8,000 pounds, and grew roughly to be 30 ft long and 8 ft tall. The duck-billed Maiasaura was able to navigate with two or four legs. They had hooved back legs and four fingered hands. Their stong tails were said to help these Maiasauras to keep their balance.

__Picture:__
This is an adult Maiasaura peeblesorum with is child //Maiasaura peeblesorum// Horner & Makela, 1979 []

__Time Existed:__
The //Maiasaura peeblesorum// dinosaur lived in the North American Continent about 65-80 million years ago.

__Preservation:__
The //Maiasaura peeblesorum// was perserved by huge bonebeds located on Egg Mountain in Montana.

__Who Found the Fossil/Why is it the State Fossil?__
The //Maiasaura peeblesorum//was discovered by Marion Brandvold and her son David Trexler. They found a big bone on Egg Mountain in Montana on a bonebed and they took it to Dr. Jack R. Horner. It wa then Dr. Horner and Robert Makela who named the fossil in 1979. The //Maiasaura peeblesorum// became Montana's state fossil in 1985, because in Eg Mountain, scientists found a huge bonebed that preserved thousands of these fossils. Also the first //Maiasaura peeblesorum// was found in Montana.

__Sources:__
Enchanted Learning (1996). //Maiasaura "Good Mother Lizard"//. retrieved March 24, 2012, from www.enchantedlearning.com Web Site: []

Aschauer, K. //Maiasaura Peeblesorum: The First Dinosaur in Space//. (n.d) retrieved March 24, 2012, from dsc.discovery.com Web Site: []

Montana's Official State Website //Symbols of Montana//. (n.d) retrieved March 24, 2012, from mhs.mt.gov Web Site: []