Facts About Parasaurolophus
Get ready to learn lots of fun and exciting facts about the Parasaurolophus! It’s a bit of a mouthful, huh? The Parasaurolophus was one of the most fascinating dinosaurs of its time, not just for its long name.
It was a type of hadrosaur, which is a “duck-billed dinosaur”! We’ll cover lots of cool information, such as what its duck bill was for and its giant crest horn. Let’s go!
What did the Parasaurolophus look like?
You already know that it had a duck bill, but even outside of that it was an incredibly unique dinosaur. One of its most unique features is its long, curved crest on the back of its head. Crests were often made of bone or skin and looked like horns. Although other dinosaurs had a crest, the Parasaurolophus had a large and unique one! Check out an examples below.
Have you seen this guy before? You’ll know if you did from that massive crest! This crest was hollow, and scientists believe it was completely made of bone. Given its hollowness, it might have even been used to make sounds or amplify the Parasaurolophus’s calls, echoing sound through the hollow crest.
While it isn’t quite like the ducks we have today, the Parasaurolophus’s long and flat bill is how it got its nickname as the duck-billed dinosaur. It also had a large and muscular body that was built for walking on all fours, but it could run on its two hind legs as well. This means it was bipedal (walked on two legs) and quadrupedal (walked on four legs), which is rare in the dinosaur world!
As the exact appearance of dinosaurs remains uncertain, the images above are provided for illustrative purposes only and have been generated using AI technology.
How big was the Parasaurolophus?
The Parasaurolophus was relatively big compared to similar dinosaurs, growing to 30 feet long and 10 feet tall on all fours. Similar to the Ankylosaurus , the Parasaurolophus was as long as a bus and about as tall as a basketball hoop! Its large crest added to its height, growing up to 2 metres long. Because of this, some scientists think it might have been to attract mates or to recognise each other from long distances.
What did the Parasaurolophus eat?
The Parasaurolophus was a herbivore with a diet of ferns, conifers, and cycads. As it lived in the late Cretaceous period, these plants were abundant, and the Parasaurolophus would have had plenty to eat! Their beak likely clipped plants or stripped branches of leaves, while the teeth at the back of their flat bills could grind the plants up to be digested more easily.
Since it was a pretty big dinosaur, it would have needed a lot of fuel. Like other large herbivores, the Parasaurolophus probably spent most of its time munching on plants and looking for more! Scientists also believe it lived in large herds, travelling together and communicating with their crests or other sounds.
Where did the Parasaurolophus live?
The Parasaurolophus lived in parts of Canada and the United States, in places we know now as Alberta or New Mexico. Although these places are now filled with cities and humans, they were more like rainforests back then! It was warm and tropical, filled with rivers, lakes, forests, and lots of other vegetation. For vegetarians like Parasaurolophus, this was the perfect environment.
What killed the Parasaurolophus?
Having lived in the Cretaceous period around 76 million years ago, the Parasaurolophus likely went extinct at the end of this period when a meteor impacted the Earth. Although the impact itself likely didn’t kill many dinosaurs, the resulting cataclysm made it very difficult to survive on Earth.
The Parasaurolophus likely already faced threads from large carnivores like the T. Rex , although it may have been able to defend itself in herds, especially with their size and speed. However, the sudden change in temperature from the meteor caused drastic changes, such as wildfires, tsunamis, and the disappearance of many species.
With the environment becoming so hostile, plants wouldn’t have grown or would have evolved, making it difficult for herbivorous dinosaurs like Parasaurolophus to eat. Even if they were fortunate enough to survive the initial impact and climate change, the Parasaurolophus likely could not sustain itself.
Fun Parasaurolophus Facts
- Its name is Greek and means “near lizard with a crest”, referring to its unique head crest.
- The hollow crest was connected to the Parasaurolophus’s nose, which is why scientists think it might have been used to emit sound. More specifically, they think it might have made trumpet sounds!
- Some Parasaurolophus fossils have indicated that they could heal well, meaning they could survive and live on if they were injured.
- As a herbivore, the Parasaurolophus was a peaceful dinosaur and not a predator. While it might have needed to defend itself against other dinosaurs, it was not a fighter.
- The Parasaurolophus is one of the few dinosaurs for which we’ve found fossilised eggs and young bones. This means we’ve learned a lot about how they grew and that they were much smaller as babies!
- While their crest could vary in length, it could also be different shapes. Scientists think this might have been a way for them to identify each other or a sign of their gender or age.
- Its long legs and tail might have made it a good swimmer. Although it spent its time on land, scientists believe it may have waded in shallow water to look for plants!
Closing Summary:
Easily recognisable by its fascinating curved crest, the Parasaurolophus was undoubtedly a unique and interesting dinosaur. What do you think its crest was for? What sounds do you think it would make? Have a go pretending to be a Parasaurolophus yourself! You can also check out our other articles for lots of fun and interesting facts about dinosaurs.
Become a dinosaur pro, and maybe one day you’ll be looking at fossils too! Even with what we know now, there’s always so much more to learn and explore. So, get your thinking caps on and get going! There are plenty of activities or articles to get you started on your journey to becoming a dino expert.
Parasaurolophus Questions & Answers
Hope you paid attention to all the fun facts about the Parasaurolophus above, because now it’s time to test what you’ve learned! We’ve put together 10 exciting questions all about this amazing dinosaur. Can you remember what its crest was used for? Or how it got its duck-billed nickname?
To take the quiz, simply click the download button to the right. Once you’ve answered all the questions, check the answer sheet to see how well you did. Don’t worry if you get stuck—you can always revisit the blog to find the answers. Have fun!
