Parasaurolophus

The Parasaurolophus ran on its hind legs at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.

Classification and Scientific Name

The Parasaurolophus is a member of the Order Ornithischia, the Clade Ornithopoda, the Family Hadrosauridae, the Subfamily Lambeosaurinae, and the Tribe Parasaurolophini, all of which are extinct. This dinosaur lived in North America, and possibly Asia, from about 76.5 to73 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous Period.

Parasaurolophus walkeri is the scientific name of the type species of the genus 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 walkeri is one of three species (a fourth has been proposed but is currently listed in another genus). Its fossils were found in Alberta, Canada, The other two species are:

• Parasaurolophus tubicen (found in New Mexico; the largest species)
• Parasaurolophus cyrtocristatus (short-crested; the smallest species; found in New Mexico and Utah)

Description and 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. That’s 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 idea 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.

Paleontologists think the Parasaurolophus was 31 feet long and weighed 2.8 tons (5,600 lbs.). The head of this dinosaur, including its long crest, was thought to measure 5 ft., 3 in. This dinosaur’s estimated height is 9 feet at the shoulders and much taller when standing on its hind legs.

When moving slowly along looking for food, the Parasaurolophus would lower its front legs to the ground to walk on all fours. When it ran, though, it ran with remarkable speed, up to 30 mph, on its two hind legs.

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.

Diet

As a herbivore, the teeth of the Parasaurolophus 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. 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.

Habitat

These dinosaurs lived in Canada and the United States. Its fossils have been found in Alberta, Canada, and in New Mexico and Utah. Some paleontologists believe this dinosaur lived in China also.

Not surprisingly, they lived in a habitat with plenty of trees, grass, and other vegetation in order to have a constant supply of food. This habitat would have had rivers and floodplains that became more swampy and influenced by marine conditions over time, which may have affected their food supply.

Threats and Predators

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. Although 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. The speed of the Parasaurolophus was another one of its defenses.

Discoveries and Fossils

The first discovery of Parasaurolophus bones occurred in Canada 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

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

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 the skull curving out behind the head. However, paleontologists believe that 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 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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