Aralosaurus: Research Database
Lambeosaurinae (Hadrosauridae) · Late Cretaceous (~90 MYA) · Asia — Kazakhstan
Research Note: Aralosaurus was a lambeosaurine hadrosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Kazakhstan — an important taxon for understanding hadrosaurid evolution in Asia and the diversification of duck-billed dinosaurs.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Averianov 2006: Aralosaurus and new data on lambeosaurine diversity from the Cretaceous of Kazakhstan
Averianov 2006 provides comprehensive data on Aralosaurus from the Late Cretaceous of Kazakhstan, establishing it as a lambeosaurine and documenting hadrosaurid evolution in the Cretaceous of Asia
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Confirmed | A | 2006 | Fossil | Averianov, Cretaceous Research | Diversity |
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Averianov & Nessov 1995: Aralosaurus and additional data on hadrosaurid taxonomy
Averianov & Nessov 1995 provide additional data on Aralosaurus and hadrosaurid taxonomy, further contextualising its significance within Lambeosaurinae
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Confirmed | B | 1995 | Fossil | Averianov & Nessov, Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie | Taxonomy |
Active Debate: Hadrosaurid Biogeography in Asia
Whether Aralosaurus is basal to other lambeosaurines is debated. The evolution of hadrosaurids in the Cretaceous of Asia — and their relationships to North American forms — is key to understanding hadrosaurid history.
What We Still Do Not Know About Aralosaurus
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimen known.
- Diet: Herbivore.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
- Relationships: Partially understood.
In Depth
Out of all the hadrosaurs (popularly known as duckbilled dinosaurs) Aralosaurus is noted for having extremely little in the way of fossil material attributed to it; a piece of the skull. This piece however does suggest the presence of an arched nasal area similar to that seen in other genera such as Gryposaurus which might suggest a saurolophine lineage for Aralosaurus. Other information that is occasionally attributed to this dinosaur in other sources is done so as a result of comparisons to other much better documented genera.
Another hadrosaurid dinosaur from Kazakhstan is Jaxartosaurus.
Further Reading
- Gadrozavry Kazakhstana [Hadrosaurs of Kazakhstan], Anatoly Konstantinovich Rozhdestvensky - 1968. – A re-appraisal of “Aralosaurus tuberiferus” (Dinosauria, Hadrosauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Kazakhstan. – Bulletin de l’Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre (74): 139–154. – P. Godefroit, V. Alifanov & Y. Boltsky – 2004.
