PSA: Hadrosaurus is Garbage
Guys please donāt vote for Hadrosaurus. I realise it might be the only name you recognise out of the list of Basal Hadrosauriformes, but just ... donāt.
This is all we have of Hadrosaurus. It was discovered in like the mid-1800s and nobody has ever found any more bones that can be assigned to it. The skull, which is one of the most varied and interesting parts about hadrosaurids, is represented by one tiny piece.Ā
Hadrosaurus is not special. In fact, itās so indistinguishable from pretty much every other hadrosaur that it was considered to be a nomen dubium, a dubious species based on insufficient remains that make it too difficult to classify. It was only in 2011 that HadrosaurusĀ was reinstated as a valid name.
Sure, HadrosaurusĀ has star power, butĀ āIāve heard of it beforeā is probably not the bestĀ criterion for a contender.
Instead of Hadrosaurus, may I suggest an alternative? Thereās a dinosaur named Altirhinus, and itās literally the first name on the Basal Hadrosauriformes list.
You know how I mentioned earlier about how Hadrosaurusā skull is pretty much nonexistent? Well, AltirhinusĀ has a skull and itās amazing.
Look at that glorious thing. Itās like 50% nose. AltirhinusĀ literally meansĀ āhigh noseā, thatās how huge its nose is.
Not to mention that AltirhinusĀ is wayĀ better known than Hadrosaurus. We have fossils of multiple individuals, including juveniles, which is pretty cool. AltirhinusĀ also had smaller forelimbs than many hadrosaurs, meaning it was may have been primarily bipedal.
Also hereās a nice picture of AltirhinusĀ by Jack Wood @thewoodparable, because I really like his art okay.
Vote for AltirhinusĀ everyone! Because someĀ basal hadrosauriformes are actually interesting!
