Parasaurolophus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids ParasaurolophusTemporal range: Upper Cretaceous
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| Parasaurolophus walkeri | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | †Ornithischia |
| Suborder: | †Ornithopoda |
| Family: | †Hadrosauridae |
| Tribe: | †Parasaurolophini |
| Genus: | †Parasaurolophus Parks, 1922 |
| Type species | |
| †Parasaurolophus walkeri Parks, 1922
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Parasaurolophus is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of what is now North America, about 76.5–73 million years ago. Its name means "near crested lizard". It was given this name because when it was first discovered scientists thought it was related to Saurolophus. It was a herbivore that walked both as biped and a quadruped. It probably lived in herds.
Parasaurolophus was a hadrosaur. They had a large head crest, which was a long curved tube. It went upwards and back from the skull. The crest has been much discussed by scientists. They think its main functions were visual recognition of species and sex, acoustic resonance (making a loud sound), and thermoregulation. Parasaurolophus is one of the rarer hadrosaurs: there are only a few good specimens.
Images for kids
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Holotype specimen of P. walkeri, showing the pathologic v-shaped notch
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Holotype skulls of the three species arranged by age
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Restoration of P. walkeri
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P. walkeri head with scalation detail.
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Juvenile skeleton RAM 14000
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Reconstruction of a juvenile skeleton, based on RAM 14000
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Comparison drawing between the crests of P. cyrtocristatus (above) and P. walkeri (below)
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Restoration of P. walkeri with hypothetical skin frill
