Most dinosaurs weren’t naturally carnivorous. In fact, around 65% of these so-called ‘terrible lizards’ were gentle plant eaters. This group includes the long-necked sauropods, which used their extended necks to reach leaves way up in the treetops, beaked dinosaurs, which dug up and shredded roots, and iguanodons, which used their thumb claws to rip apart plants for easier munching.

Paleontologists generally examine a dinosaur’s teeth to determine its diet. Plant-eating dinosaurs often had sharp, serrated front teeth for cutting and shredding plant material and flat molars for grinding it into mush. Some of them probably had gizzards, similar to modern birds, to help with digestion.

Types of Plant-eating Dinosaurs

Here is a list of dinosaurs known for primarily eating plants.

Cerapods

Cerapods are part of a clade of herbivorous dinosaurs that broadly include “horned” dinosaurs (ceratopsians), “thick-headed” dinosaurs (pachycephalosaurs), and “bird-footed” dinosaurs (ornithopods).

• Anchiceratops ornatus
• Iguanodon bernissartensis
• Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis
• Protoceratops andrewsi
• Styracosaurus albertensis
• Triceratops horridus
• Achelousaurus horneri
• Arrhinoceratops brachyops
• Camptosaurus dispar
• Centrosaurus apertus
• Ceratops montanus
• Chaoyangsaurus youngi
• Chasmosaurus belli
• Dryosaurus altus
• Gasparinisaura cincosaltensis
• Hypselospinus fittoni
• Leptoceratops gracilis
• Liaoceratops yanzigouensis
• Macrogryphosaurus gondwanicus
• Nasutoceratops titusi
• Orodromeus makelai
• Pachyrhinosaurus canadensis
• Pentaceratops sternbergii
• Psittacosaurus mongoliensis
• Rhabdodon priscus
• Sphaerotholus goodwini
• Stegoceras validum
• Zalmoxes robustus

Duck-billed Dinosaurs

The hadrosaurs, commonly known as duck-billed dinosaurs, are also classified under the clade of cerapods. However, this family of dinosaurs was the most common herbivores during the Late Cretaceous period and as such deserves a special mention. They can be easily recognized by their characteristic flat, duck-like snouts.

• Corythosaurus casuarius
• Hadrosaurus foulkii
• Lambeosaurus lambei
• Parasaurolophus walkeri
• Canardia garonnensis
• Charonosaurus jiayinensis
• Cionodon stenopsis
• Diclonius pentagonus
• Edmontosaurus annectens
• Edmontosaurus regalis
• Huaxiaosaurus aigahtens
• Hypacrosaurus altispinus
• Kundurosaurus nagornyi
• Laiyangosaurus youngi
• Lapampasaurus cholinoi
• Latirhinus uitstlani
• Lophorhothon atopus
• Mandschurosaurus amurensis
• Magnapaulia laticaudus
• Penelopognathus weishampeli
• Plesiohadros djadokhtaensis
• Probrachylophosaurus bergei
• Prosaurolophus maximus
• Rhinorex condrupus
• Riabininohadros weberae
• Sahaliyania elunchunorum
• Saurolophus osborni
• Secernosaurus koerneri
• Shantungosaurus giganteus
• Tanius sinensis
• Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus
• Tethyshadros insularis
• Tlatolophus galorum
• Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus
• Ugrunaaluk kuukpikensis
• Velafrons coahuilensis
• Wulagasaurus dongi
• Xuwulong yueluni
• Yamatosaurus izanagii
• Zhuchengosaurus maximus

Sauropods

Sauropods were a clade of herbivorous, long-necked, and long-tailed dinosaurs that walked the earth from the Jurassic to the Cretaceous. They are amongst the largest animals to have ever lived on land.

• Alamosaurus sanjuanensis
• Amargasaurus cazaui
• Apatosaurus ajax
• Argentinosaurus huinculensis
• Brachiosaurus altithorax
• Camarasaurus supremus
• Diplodocus longus
• Giraffatitan brancai
• Mamenchisaurus constructus
• Algoasaurus bauri
• Amanzia greppini
• Amargatitanis macni
• Amazonsaurus maranhensis
• Ampelosaurus atacis
• Amphicoelias altus
• Analong chuanjieensis
• Andesaurus delgadoi
• Angolatitan adamastor
• Anhuilong diboensis
• Antarctosaurus brasiliensis
• Antarctosaurus giganteus
• Arackar licanantay
• Aragosaurus ischiaticus
• Archaeodontosaurus descouensi
• Arcusaurus pereirabdalorum
• Bajadasaurus pronuspinax
• Baotianmansaurus henanensis
• Barapasaurus tagorei
• Barosaurus affinis
• Barrosasaurus casamiquelai
• Bashunosaurus kaijiangensis
• Baurutitan britoi
• Bellusaurus sui
• Bonatitan reigi
• Bonitasaura salgadoi
• Borealosaurus wimani
• Bothriospondylus elongatus
• Brachytrachelopan mesai
• Brasilotitan nemophagus
• Bravasaurus arrierosorum
• Brontomerus mcintoshi
• Bruhathkayosaurus matleyi
• Bustingorrytitan shiva
• Caieiria allocaudata
• Camarasaurus grandis
• Campylodoniscus ameghinoi
• Cardiodon rugulosus
• Cathartesaura anaerobica
• Caulodon diversidens
• Cedarosaurus weiskopfae
• Cetiosauriscus stewarti
• Cetiosaurus brevis
• Chebsaurus algeriensis
• Chiayusaurus asianensis
• Choconsaurus baileywillisi
• Chondrosteosaurus gigas
• Chuanjiesaurus anaensis
• Chubutisaurus insignis
• Chucarosaurus diripienda
• Clasmodosaurus spatula
• Comahuesaurus windhauseni
• Daanosaurus zhangi
• Dashanpusaurus dongi
• Datousaurus bashanensis
• Daxiatitan binglingi
• Demandasaurus darwini
• Diamantinasaurus matildae
• Dicraeosaurus sattleri
• Dinheirosaurus lourinhanensis
• Dinodocus mackesoni
• Dongbeititan dongi
• Dongyangosaurus sinensis
• Dreadnoughtus schrani
• Drusilasaura deseadensis
• Duriatitan humerocristatus
• Dyslocosaurus polyonychius
• Dystrophaeus viaemalae
• Dystylosaurus edwini
• Dzharatitanis kingi
• Elaltitan lilloi
• Eomamenchisaurus yuanmouensis
• Eoraptor lunensis
• Epachthosaurus sciuttoi
• Erketu ellisoni
• Eucamerotus foxi
• Euhelopus zdanskyi
• Europasaurus holgeri
• Europatitan eastwoodi
• Ferganasaurus verzilini
• Fukuititan nipponensis
• Fushanosaurus qitaiensis
• Fusuisaurus zhaoi
• Futalognkosaurus dukei
• Galeamopus hayi
• Gandititan cavocaudatus
• Gannansaurus sinensis
• Garrigatitan meridionalis
• Garumbatitan morellensis
• Gigantosaurus megalonyx
• Gobititan shenzhouensis
• Gondwanatitan faustoi
• Haestasaurus becklesii
• Hamititan xinjiangensis
• Haplocanthosaurus delfsi
• Histriasaurus boscarollii
• Huabeisaurus allocotus
• Huanghetitan liujiaxiaensis
• Huangshanlong anhuiensis
• Hudiesaurus sinojapanorum
• Hypselosaurus priscus
• Ibirania parva
• Igai semkhu
• Inawentu oslatus
• Isisaurus colberti
• Itapeuasaurus cajapioensis
• Iuticosaurus valdensis
• Laplatasaurus araukanicus
• Lapparentosaurus madagascariensis
• Lavocatisaurus agrioensis
• Leinkupal laticauda
• Liaoningotitan sinensis
• Ligabuesaurus leanzai
• Limaysaurus tessonei
• Lingwulong shenqi
• Lirainosaurus astibiae
• Liubangosaurus hei
• Lohuecotitan pandafilandi
• Loricosaurus scutatus
• Losillasaurus giganteus
• Lourinhasaurus alenquerensis
• Lusotitan atalaiensis
• Macrurosaurus semnus
• Magyarosaurus dacus
• Malawisaurus dixeyi
• Maxakalisaurus topai
• Mendozasaurus neguyelap
• Menucocelsior arriagadai
• Microcoelus patagonicus
• Mierasaurus bobyoungi
• Mnyamawamtuka moyowamkia
• Moabosaurus utahensis
• Mongolosaurus haplodon
• Morosaurus robustus
• Mussaurus patagonicus
• Muyelensaurus pecheni
• Narambuenatitan palomoi
• Narindasaurus thevenini
• Nebulasaurus taito
• Nemegtosaurus mongoliensis
• Neuquensaurus australis
• Nigersaurus taqueti
• Ninjatitan zapatai
• Nopcsaspondylus alarconensis
• Normanniasaurus genceyi
• Notocolossus gonzalezparejasi
• Nullotitan glaciaris
• Oceanotitan dantasi
• Ohmdenosaurus liasicus
• Omeisaurus jiaoi
• Opisthocoelicaudia skarzynskii
• Oplosaurus armatus
• Ornithopsis leedsii
• Overosaurus paradasorum
• Padillasaurus leivaensis
• Paludititan nalatzensis
• Paluxysaurus jonesi
• Panamericansaurus schroederi
• Paralititan stromeri
• Patagosaurus fariasi
• Patagotitan mayorum
• Pellegrinisaurus powelli
• Pelorosaurus conybeari
• Perijasaurus lapaz
• Petrobrasaurus puestohernandezi
• Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae
• Pilmatueia faundezi
• Pitekunsaurus macayai
• Pleurocoelus altus
• Protognathosaurus oxyodon
• Quaesitosaurus orientalis
• Quetecsaurus rusconii
• Rapetosaurus krausei
• Rayososaurus agrioensis
• Rebbachisaurus garasbae
• Rhoetosaurus brownei
• Rhomaleopakhus turpanensis
• Rinconsaurus caudamirus
• Rocasaurus muniozi
• Ruehleia bedheimensis
• Rugocaudia cooneyi
• Ruixinia zhangi
• Rukwatitan bisepultus
• Ruyangosaurus giganteus
• Saltasaurus loricatus
• Sanpasaurus yaoi
• Sarmientosaurus musacchioi
• Sauroposeidon proteles
• Savannasaurus elliottorum
• Seitaad ruessi
• Shunosaurus lii
• Sibirotitan astrosacralis
• Sidersaura marae
• Silutitan sinensis
• Smitanosaurus agilis
• Sonidosaurus saihangaobiensis
• Sonorasaurus thompsoni
• Soriatitan golmayensis
• Spinophorosaurus nigerensis
• Supersaurus vivianae
• Titanosaurus indicus
• Uberabatitan ribeiroi
• Uintasaurus douglassi
• Ultrasaurus tabriensis
• Vahiny depereti
• Venenosaurus dicrocei
• Yamanasaurus lojaensis
• Yizhousaurus sunae
• Yongjinglong datangi
• Yuanmousaurus jiangyiensis
• Yunmenglong ruyangensis
• Yunnanosaurus huangi
• Yuzhoulong qurenensis
• Zapalasaurus bonapartei
• Zby atlanticus
• Zhuchengtitan zangjiazhuangensis
• Zigongosaurus fuxiensis
• Zizhongosaurus chuanchengensis

Armored Dinosaurs

Belonging to the clade Thyreophora, these herbivorous dinosaurs possessed a form of body armor to protect them from predators. They lived from the Early Jurassic to the Cretaceous.

• Ankylosaurus magniventris
• Nodosaurus textilis
• Stegosaurus stenops
• Alcovasaurus longispinus
• Chungkingosaurus jiangbeiensis
• Dacentrurus armatus
• Edmontonia longiceps
• Emausaurus ernsti
• Euoplocephalus tutus
• Gastonia burgei
• Gigantspinosaurus sichuanensis
• Gobisaurus domoculus
• Hesperosaurus mjosi
• Huayangosaurus taibaii
• Loricatosaurus priscus
• Minmi paravertebra
• Miragaia longicollum
• Panoplosaurus mirus
• Scutellosaurus lawleri
• Shamosaurus scutatus
• Struthiosaurus languedocensis
• Tuojiangosaurus multispinus
• Wuerhosaurus homheni

Thescelosaurids

These herbivorous dinosaurs had asymmetrical enamel plating on their lower teeth.

• Albertadromeus syntarsus
• Notohypsilophodon comodorensis
• Haya griva
• Orodromeus makelai
• Oryctodromeus cubicularis
• Parksosaurus warreni
• Thescelosaurus assiniboiensis
• Zephyrosaurus schaffi

FAQs