“The Parasaurolophus ran on its hind legs at speeds of up to 30mph”

Parasaurolophus Description & Size

While the name of this dinosaur may not be immediately familiar, you’re very likely to recognize the Parasaurolophus in a drawing or painting. This dinosaur is best known for its cranial crest. Its crest is the long, hollow bone beginning at the tip of its nose, continuing up the middle of its face and curving upward extending to an area behind its skull. Typically, males had larger crests than females.

Some paleontologists believe this dinosaur’s crest contained tubes that were connected to its nostrils. This gives way to a theory that the Parasaurolophus was able to make horn-like noises with the air flowing up through its crest. Some dinosaur scientists have even compared the inner design of this dinosaur’s crest to a snorkel. You may have used a snorkel to breathe while swimming in shallow areas of an ocean or a lake.

Paleontologists think the Parasaurolophus was 31 feet long and weighed 2.8 tons (5,600lbs.). The head of this dinosaur including its long crest was thought to measure five feet, three inches long. Its estimated height is nine feet. Imagine an adult man who is six feet tall. That man would have to look up into the air to see the head of this dinosaur!

Of course, nine feet is the dinosaur’s height when standing on four legs. But it’s believed the Parasaurolophus ran through its habitat on its two powerful hindlegs. So, it would be even taller when running.

When moving slowly along looking for food, the Parasaurolophus would lower its front legs to the ground to walk on all fours.

This dinosaur was a herbivore. So, instead of having long, sharp teeth like a carnivore, the Parasaurolophus had relatively short teeth made for grinding vegetation. Paleontologists believe these dinosaurs lost teeth on a regular basis. But a few lost teeth wasn’t a big deal to this dinosaur. It had hundreds in its mouth!

This dinosaur had either very short claws or no claws at all. So, it couldn’t use them as a defense against predators. However, this dinosaur had great vision allowing it to monitor its surroundings for predators.

The Parasaurolophus had a long tail it could flatten out. It’s believed this animal used its long tail to propel itself through the water.

Parasaurolophus walkeri is the scientific name of the type species of Parasaurolophus. The Greek word Parasaurolophus means near crested lizard. It’s also called the duck-billed dinosaur because of its wide flat nose. The Parasaurolophus belongs to the genus of herbivorous hadrosaurid ornithopod dinosaurs.

The Parasaurolophus walkeri is one of three species.

The other two species are:

• Parasaurolophus tubicen
• Parasaurolophus cyrtocristatus (short-crested)

Diet – What Did the Parasaurolophus Eat?

The Parasaurolophus was an herbivore. Paleontologists know this because of the design of their teeth. Their teeth were made to grind and chew vegetation.

So, what exactly did the Parasaurolophus eat? Leaves, grass, ferns, and pine needles were all part of the diet of this herbivorous dinosaur. Keep in mind these dinosaurs were nine feet tall and much taller when standing on their hind legs, so they were able to grab leaves and other vegetation high up in the trees. They used their shovel-like nose or beak, to snip parts of vegetation away from branches.

Parasaurolophus – When and Where It Lived

These dinosaurs lived 74 to 76 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous Period. They existed in North America in both Canada and the United States. Some paleontologists also believe this dinosaur lived in Asia.

Not surprisingly, they lived in a habitat with plenty of trees, grass, and other vegetation in order to have a constant supply of food.

Places inhabited by the Parasaurolophus:

• United States
• Canada

Threats and Predators to the Parasaurolophus

The Parasaurolophus was preyed upon by the Tyrannosaurus rex. T. rex dinosaurs were 38 feet long and weighed from 8,800 to 11,000 pounds. So, they were much larger than the Parasaurolophus. Also, though the T. rex was much slower moving than the Parasaurolophus, it was able to overpower this herbivorous dinosaur with its incredible strength.

The Albertosaurus was another predator of the Parasaurolophus. The Albertosaurus was about the same size or even a little longer than the Parasaurolophus.

The Daspletosaurus is another notable predator of the Parasaurolophus. Though strong, this carnivore was a little shorter than the Parasaurolophus at 27 to 30 feet long.

Paleontologists believe the Parasaurolophus lived in herds. This provided some protection from its large predators. A predator was only able to capture a few from the group. The Parasaurolophus was able to move at a speed of around 30mph so that was another one of its defenses.

Discoveries and Fossils – Where the Parasaurolophus Was Found

The first discovery of Parasaurolophus bones occurred in Canada back in 1922. Paleontologist William Parks discovered a Parasaurolophus skull as well as part of a skeleton in Alberta.

In 1961, bones of the Parasaurolophus were found in New Mexico in the Fruitland formation as well as in Utah in the Kaiparowits Formation.

Another major discovery of Parasaurolophus remains happened in southern Utah in 2009. The partial skeleton measured less than six feet long which led paleontologists to believe the dinosaur was less than one year old. The remains of this Parasaurolophus are named Joe.

Extinction – When Did the Parasaurolophus Die Out?

Not surprisingly, paleontologists aren’t agreed on how the Parasaurolophus died out. But one common theory is an asteroid measuring six miles wide hit the earth sometime near the end of the Cretaceous Period. When the asteroid hit the earth, it caused a layer of dust to surround the planet. This layer of dust blocked a lot of sunlight from entering the earth’s atmosphere. Well, when plants and other vegetation don’t get enough sunlight, they die. Consequently, the Parasaurolophus along with other herbivorous dinosaurs lost their food source and slowly died off.

Paleontologists discovered a crater in Mexico with rocks they believe date back to the Cretaceous Period. This is where they think the asteroid hit the earth.

Similar Animals to the Parasaurolophus

Dinosaurs similar to the Parasaurolophus include:

• Saurolophus – The name Saurolophus sounds a lot like Parasaurolophus so it’s no surprise to say they look a lot alike too! Both have a crest atop their skull curving out behind their head. However, paleontologists believe while the crest of a Parasaurolophus was hollow, the crest of a Saurolophus was made of solid bone.
• Amurosaurus – The Amurosaurus has a crest on its head though it’s shorter than the Parasaurolophus’ crest. This dinosaur was a herbivore as well but was a little smaller than the Parasaurolophus at 25 feet long.
• Anatotitan – This dinosaur has a snout that looks like a duck’s bill similar to the Parasaurolophus. In fact, its Greek name means giant duck. At 40 feet long, the Anatotitan was a little longer than the Parasaurolophus.

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