Habitat
Maiasaura peeblesorum lived 80-65 million years ago, in the late Cretaceous period, near the end of the Mesozoic Era. The landscape that Maiasaura peeblesorum lived in was very different from anything on earth today. Global temperatures were warmer than they are now, and there was less seasonal variation in temperatures. There were no polar ice caps, and sea levels were higher, which means that there was less dry land exposed than today. Maiasaura peeblsorum lived in what is today North America, but the landscape was very different. Active volcanos erupted regularly, and the continents were in different positions than they are now. The Mesozoic era followed a mass extinction known as the Permian extinction, which left room for huge numbers of new organisms to evolve, including Maiasaura peeblesorum (Cole 1996).
The first fossils of Maiasaura peeblesorum were found in
Montana, U.S.A. More were found in western Canada and the U.S.A.,
and were discovered by Jack Horner and R
obert Makela (Weishampel
2004).
It is thought that the dinosaurs migrated north and south with the
seasons to find food. They traveled in herds, possibly of up to ten
thousand (Weishampel 2004). Maiasaura peeblesorum most
likely foraged in thick forests, composed of mostly gymnosperms, or
ferns
with some early angiosperms, or flowering plants, as well. Most Maiasaura peeblesorum
fossils are found inland of ancient coastlines, and many are found
preserved by volcanic ash, indicating that some of the environments
that Maiasaura peeblesorum lived in contained active volcanoes
(Hamilton 2010).
To see how Maiasaura moved around this habitat and also how they grew please visit the Form and Function page!