Chinese scientist Xing Xu and his colleagues indicate that Shantungosaurus is very similar to and shares many unique characters with Edmontosaurus, forming a node of an Edmontosaurus–Shantungosaurus clade between North America and Asia, based on the new materials recovered in Shandong.

[4] However, further study showed that the supposedly distinct features of Zhuchengosaurus were simply a result of different growth stages.

A large hole near its nostrils may have been covered by a loose flap of skin, which could be inflated to make sounds.

[citation needed] Recent maximum parsimony-based phylogenetic analyses of Hadrosauroidea from Xing and colleagues recovered a stable sister group relationship between Edmontosaurus and Shantungosaurus.

It shows the position of Shantungosaurus as sister group of Edmontosaurus in the Edmontosaurini clade:[10] Telmatosaurus Jintasaurus Lophorhothon Claosaurus Tethyshadros Hadrosaurus Eotrachodon Lambeosaurinae Acristavus Maiasaura Brachylophosaurus Naashoibitosaurus Kritosaurus Gryposaurus ‘’Aquilarhinus’’ Willinakaqe Secernosaurus "Sabinosaur" PASAC-1 Prosaurolophus Augustynolophus Saurolophus Kerberosaurus Kundurosaurus Shantungosaurus Edmontosaurus