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Parasaurolophus Facts

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Below are some of the facts about Parasaurolophus:

  • The Parasaurolophus belonged to the duck-billed dinosaurs but they were not similar in features to that of a modern duck.
  • They lived during the late Cretaceous Period in North America about 76 to 65 million years ago.
  • In 1920, a partial skeleton the animal was first time discovered in Alberta, Canada. However, the official name was given after 1922.
  • The fossils of the Parasaurolophus is found in different parts of Canada, Utah, America and New Mexico.
  • They were about 31 feet long and they weighed something around 2.5 to 2.7 tons.
  • The Parasaurolophus had robust body, narrow beak, well developed arms and strong feet. The most striking physical feature of the animal was the curve tubular crest located at the head and was backward oriented.
  • It has also got its name from the unusual crest located at its head as the term ‘Parasaurolophus’ means ‘near crested lizard.’
  • It was the size of the crest of the Parasaurolophus that helped the scientists to identify the younger animals from the adults and also males from females. The females had shorter crest than the males.
  • There was another use of the crest as they used it for thermoregulation. They accumulated heat during the day inside the crest and used it during night to fight against the cold.
  • There are other theories related to the crest that suggest that it was mainly used for communication. The crest is believed to produce sound that could travel in air and help them in communicating.
  • The Parasaurolophus were able to walk on their all fours. If required they were even able to walk on their hind legs only.
  • The Parasaurolophus were mainly herbivores who lived on leaves of plant.
  • For escaping from their predators the Parasaurolophus used their hind limbs for running. The highest speed they could reach was about 25 miles per hour but they could not run at this speed for long.
  • In order to eat the plants they had teeth that were miniature in size and hundreds in number. They also had teeth at the back of their mouth that replaced the worn out teeth at the front.
  • It is believed that this dinosaurs had their voice changed when they reached the age of puberty. This is suggested by comparing the inner ear along with the crest.
  • The Parasaurolophus liked to be active during the day and mostly probably lived in herds.