Kamuysaurus
"god lizard"
Type species Kamuysaurus japonicus
- Lived
- 72 to 66 million years ago, Late Cretaceous
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Group
- Ornithopods, Hadrosauridae
- Found in
- Japan
- Named by
- Kobayashi et al. 2019
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
70 million years ago
Habitat
It probably lived near the coast in what is now Japan. Its skeleton was buried in shallow marine sediment of the Hakobuchi Formation.
Field notes
About Kamuysaurus
What it was like
Kamuysaurus was a duckbill, a large plant eater with a broad beak and rows of grinding teeth. It was a close relative of Edmontosaurus and had a low crest on its head. Its skeleton is nearly complete, the most complete dinosaur yet found in Japan.
Its world
It lived about 72 to 66 million years ago, near the end of the Cretaceous, in what is now Japan. Its bones were found in the Hakobuchi Formation, which formed in the sea, so the body was probably washed out from the coast.
How it was found
Kobayashi and colleagues named Kamuysaurus in 2019. The type species is Kamuysaurus japonicus. The first bones, from the tail, were found by an amateur collector, and digging later exposed almost the whole animal.
Field gallery
More views of Kamuysaurus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 3
The evidence
The science behind Kamuysaurus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- A nearly complete skeleton includes the skull, jaws, backbone and limbs.
- Its jaws contain tightly packed rows of teeth for processing plants.
- Several spines along the middle of its back tilt forward, a distinctive feature of this duckbill.
Borrowed from relatives
- Almost the whole body is known from its own bones. Scaly skin is restored by comparison with Edmontosaurus and other duckbills.
Still unknown
- The exact shape of its head crest.
- Its color and skin pattern.
- Whether it lived in herds.
Discovery timeline
- 2014Close relativeBell et al.
- 2019Named itKobayashi et al.
- 2025SkullSharpe et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Kamuysaurus
Close relative
Described a fleshy head comb on a duckbill then assigned to Edmontosaurus, showing how soft tissue could change the appearance of its relatives.
A Mummified Duck-Billed Dinosaur with a Soft-Tissue Cock’s Comb. Current Biology 24: 70-75
Read the paper : A Mummified Duck-Billed Dinosaur with a Soft-Tissue Cock’s Comb (opens in a new tab)Named it
Named a duckbill from a nearly complete skeleton, linked it to Edmontosaurus relatives and showed that the individual had reached adult size.
A New Hadrosaurine (Dinosauria: Hadrosauridae) from the Marine Deposits of the Late Cretaceous Hakobuchi Formation, Yezo Group, Japan. Scientific Reports 9
Read the paper : A New Hadrosaurine (Dinosauria: Hadrosauridae) from the Marine Deposits of the Late Cretaceous Hakobuchi Formation, Yezo Group, Japan (opens in a new tab)Skull
Reexamined the comb-bearing duckbill and proposed that it represents a different member of the Edmontosaurus branch, with a more extensive crest.
Re‐evaluation of a soft crested Edmontosaurin , with implications for hadrosaurid life appearance and diversity. The Anatomical Record 309: 2636-2655
Read the paper : Re‐evaluation of a soft crested Edmontosaurin , with implications for hadrosaurid life appearance and diversity (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Hadrosauridae
Sources: Wikidata