Researchers in Edmonton have found bones suggesting two types of large dinosaurs that had been thought to live in different eras and places likely roamed the area simultaneously — 70 million years ago.

Paleontologist Phil Currie says the newly found Saurolophus bones indicate that, contrary to what was previously believed, it may have lived in the same environment as the Edmontosaurus.
(CBC)

Last year, world-renowned University of Alberta paleontologist Phil Currie and his team found bones of the five-tonne plant eater Edmontosaurus at the site on Edmonton's outskirts.

On Thursday, Currie announced they have discovered bones of a second duck-billed plant eater Saurolophus at the same site.

"The understanding has always been that Saurolophus probably lived in a different environment [than Edmontosaurus ]," said Currie. 

"The fact that we are finding both in here is an indication that we have to rethink that one."

The bones were found at a 70-metre stretch of land along a creek just inside the southwest city limits. The site is littered with dinosaur bones from 70 million years ago, making it one of the world's largest bone beds, according to Currie.

"This site is a very neat site because it's right in the city of Edmonton," said Currie.

Other important discoveries have also been made at the site.

Bones from an Edmontonsaurus, a duck-billed dinosaur thought to look like this, were found in Edmonton city limits in 2006.

"We do have teeth from Tyrannosaurus — big meat-eating dinosaurs — presumably scavenging on the remains of these animals," said graduate student Phil Bell.

Even though the Edmontosaurus is named after the city, its fossils had previously been found only in southern Alberta until the 2006 discovery. One of the largest duck-billed dinosaurs, Edmontosaurus was a 13-metre-long, slow-moving, short-armed plant eater.

The Saurolophus, thought to have been about nine metres long and weigh several tonnes, had a distinctive boney spike, or crest, extending from its forehead.

The location of the latest find is being kept secret to prevent it from being damaged. Currie and his team expect to unearth more bones there.

"I think we're going to be here for a long time," said Currie. "It's a rich site. It's an easy access site for us and it's producing a lot of information so I expect we'll be coming back to this site every year for the next few years."

The newly discovered bones are being removed this week and taken to the University of Alberta to be cleaned up.

Currie, meanwhile, is getting ready for his next dig, in Mongolia, at the end of August.