Adelolophus is a type of dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 78 million years ago.
This dinosaur is part of a group called Hadrosauridae, often known as duck-billed dinosaurs. Adelolophus is specifically classified under a subfamily known as Lambeosaurinae, which includes dinosaurs that had unique crests on their heads.
The name Adelolophus means “unknown crest”, which reflects that this dinosaur’s head structure is not fully known yet. The only species of this dinosaur is called Adelolophus hutchisoni. It was first identified from a fossil jawbone found in Utah, USA, in a place called the Wahweap Formation.
This dinosaur likely lived in a wet environment near the sea and shared its habitat with a variety of other animals, including fish, turtles, and other dinosaurs.
### Discovery and Naming
Adelolophus was discovered in 1999 by a team led by John Howard Hutchison. They collected fossils, including the jawbone that would later be classified as Adelolophus in 2014. The name honors Hutchison for his contributions to the discovery.
The fossil found was not complete, making it challenging to identify all features. However, scientists observed several unique traits in its jawbone that suggested it was different from other known dinosaurs.
### Description
The jawbone, which is the only part of Adelolophus that has been studied, shows that it belonged to a lambeosaurine dinosaur. This means it was similar to other dinosaurs with unique head structures, like Parasaurolophus, which had a tube-like crest.
Some interesting features of Adelolophus include:
– Its jawbone had a tall ridge that was different from other relatives.
– The top part of its bone was rounded.
– The front edge of the jawbone is also unique, with bumps where other related dinosaurs have smooth edges.
### Environment
Adelolophus lived in the Upper Member of the Wahweap Formation, which was wet with many rivers. It was a lively place with different types of fish and turtles swimming around. Other dinosaurs, such as the powerful Lythronax, might have also been nearby.
In this environment, there were dry seasons, but it primarily featured a mix of freshwater and brackish water, which is not fully salty or completely freshwater.
### Summary
Adelolophus hutchisoni is an intriguing dinosaur known for its unique jawbone structure. While only one fossil has been found, it gives scientists valuable insight into the types of dinosaurs living in North America during the Late Cretaceous period. Understanding Adelolophus helps us learn more about the diversity and evolution of dinosaurs over time.