Spec DinoVember 18: Colossal Critter

No group of dinosaurs rivaled sauropods for size, but the hadrosaurs, the so-called duck-billed dinosaurs, come close. The largest members of the group, such as Shantungosaurus, can grow up to 50 feet long and weigh more than 20 tons. Even average hadrosaurs are huge, with animals like Edmontosaurus regularly topping 40 feet and 15 tons. However, not all hadrosaurs are gigantic. Capradraco saltator is the smallest member of the hadrosaur family by a wide margin, measuring no more than about four feet long including its tail. It lives in some of the most inhospitable environments for any dinosaur, the barren peaks of what will one day become the Rocky Mountains. Its small size is a result of this extreme lifestyle, as a smaller animal needs less food to survive. Sure-footed and nimble, these tiny hadrosaurs can make astonishing leaps from cliffs and crags, using their stiff tails to balance. Their beaks are angled downwards, allowing them to scrape lichen and other plants off rocks to feed. Very few predators occur at these heights, and those that do are rarely able to catch them.