PARASAUROLOPHUS: GET THE FULL STORY

Living in North America about 75 million years ago, Parasaurolophus had the typical lifestyle of the Hadrosaur Family. Roaming in huge herds of about 10,000 members, He browsed on tasty plants as He migrated across the flatlands from shorelines to higher grounds. A fast Dinosaur, Parasaurolophus could run on two or four legs as He needed to.

The rarest of the Duck-billed Dinosaurs, Parasaurolophus became well-known for his crest, which was the largest of the Hadrosaurs. This crest of Parasaurolophus was a huge pipeline structure that extended back from the back of the top of his head. Using this part of his nose, He would blow air through his crest and make a loud noise much like a fog-horn.

However, Parasaurolophus caused a lot of confusion with his head crest among early scientists. Because of its shape, paleontologists first believed that He used it as a snorkel, while He swam underwater. Other paleontologists thought that Parasaurolophus used his crest as a weapon in mating fights. Only when a team of paleontologists constructed a computer-model of his crest, did they discover that it sounded like a foghorn. Then modern scientists realized that Parasaurolophus used his crest to call his friends as well as to warn them of lurking predators.

In addition, his name “Parasaurolophus” causes confusion with the names of other Hadrosaurs. “Parasaurolophus” which means “Beside Saurolophus (Crested Lizard),” seems to denote a close relationship with that other Dinosaur. But Saurolophus (Crested Lizard) is not a close relative. Saurolophus does have a spike-like crest sticking out of the back of her skull, but her crest is solid. Meanwhile, similarly named Prosaurolophus, who had a small head crest, lived a few million years earlier than either of the two other Hadrosaurs.

            Parasaurolophus teaches you to get the full story before forming a theory or opinion. Collect all the facts and examine everything from all angles first. If you do not know something then say so. You can always find out more, and come to the surprising truth. Consider the silly theories about Parasaurolophus and his crest.