Aquilarhinus palimentus

†Aquilarhinus palimentus was a hadrosaurid ornithopod herbivore of the Late Cretaceous, discovered in Big Bend National Park, Texas. With an unusual wide, spoon-shaped snout described as a 'shovel-bill', it used this distinctive beak to scoop aquatic vegetation from shallow waters. Described in 2019, it is the oldest known hadrosaur from North America, dated to approximately 80 million years ago.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Aquilarhinus palimentus was a plant-eating dinosaur. Herbivores typically fed on ferns, cycads, conifers, and other vegetation available during their era. Many herbivorous dinosaurs developed specialized teeth and digestive systems for processing tough plant material.

Time Period

Cretaceous Late Mesozoic Era

Aquilarhinus palimentus lived during the Cretaceous Late period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 100.5 to 66.0 million years ago.

The final age of dinosaurs, featuring iconic species like Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and Velociraptor. Dinosaurs reached their peak diversity before the catastrophic asteroid impact at the Chicxulub crater ended the Mesozoic Era.