Maiasaura

Maiasaura, a Hadrosaurid genus, famous as a "good mother lizard," lived in North America about 75 million years ago, probably the direct ancestor of the Hadrosaur Edmontosaurus. It was named by Jack Horner and Robert Makela in 1979.

Astronaut took a bone fragment and eggshell piece of a Maiasaura on an 8-day Spacelab 2 mission in 1985—the first dinosaur in space!

More real-life information: Maiasaura at Wikipedia.

Jurassic Park Series
Maiasaura can be seen in both Jurassic Park novels, very docile as it would probably usually be in real life. Maiasaura did not, however, have motion-sensitive eyesight like it does in the novels. They do not appear in any of the three Jurassic Park films, and some of their actions were transferred to the Parasaurolophus. This dinosaur will take care of her baby

Jurassic Park novel
Maiasaura is the second species in the list that is displayed on the computer screen in the Control Room. The Maiasaura is one of the species whose DNA gaps were filled Rana fragments (frog DNA). Because of this, the Maiasaura regained the ability to reproduce. The number of Maiasaura in the Park raised from 21 to 22. Alan Grant finds a mother and baby maisaura in the sauropod swamp who can't see them because of their motion sensitive sight.

Scientific accuracy
The Maiasaura are able to reproduce in the novel, but only one young is born. This is unlikely because a Maiasaura nest contained 30 to 40 eggs.

The Lost World novel
The Maiasaura have their nesting side on the east side of Isla Sorna. Lewis Dodgson, Howard King and George Baselton steal two Maiasaura eggs by frightening the parents with loudspeakers. But when Dodgson's car stands unarmed in the InGen Village the parents attack the car and take the eggs back.

The Maiasaur nesting site had 4 to 5 low earthen mounds which were 7 feet wide, 3 feet deep, and covered in grasses to help regulate the temperature of the eggs. The eggs are described as pale white ovals that are 2 feet in length, about twice the size of an ostrich egg or the size of a small beach ball. The newborn babies are pale brown, almost white, barely a foot in length, and have folds of wrinkled flesh around their neck. The 20 or so adults are described as being 30 feet long, 10-15 feet high, brown and beige-colored, and having a loud honking call that was reminiscent of the honking of geese. They had large heads that ended in a broad curving, flattened snout, like the bill of a duck, and had the docile manner of a cow, that is, until it's young was endangered.

Jurassic Park inspired games

 * Maiasaura is nr. 085 of the Herbivore Twos that can be created in Jurassic Park III: Park Builder.


 * Maiasaura was planned to appear in Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis but was cut in the final version and replaced by Edmontosaurus (the player can also mod the Maiasaura by using the Edmontosaurus)