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DinosaursNamesPrehistoric Database
Late Cretaceous

Parasaurolophus

Parasaurolophus walkeri • "Near Crested Lizard"

Parasaurolophus was a plant-eating, duck-billed dinosaur from Late Cretaceous North America. Its long hollow crest is distinctive; it may have helped with communication or recognition, but its exact function is not settled.

Length
≈9.5 m
Weight
≈3.6 t
Diet
Herbivore
Danger
Battle this dinosaurView gallery
Parasaurolophus (Parasaurolophus walkeri) — illustrated species reference

Overview

The sonic trumpeter of the dinosaur world. Parasaurolophus possessed a 6-foot hollow bone crest connected to its nasal passages, functioning like a prehistoric trombone to emit resonant low-frequency calls.

“Scientists CT-scanned a fossil crest and ran computer acoustic simulations, creating an authentic audio recording of the booming foghorn call it produced 75 million years ago.”

Key facts

Strengths

  • Long-range acoustic herd warning communication (audible for miles)
  • High sprint stamina on two or four legs
  • Keen panoramic vision and coordinated herd defense tactics

Weaknesses

  • Lacks sharp claws or horns for direct lethal offense
  • Fragile hollow cranial crest susceptible to fractures

Natural weapons

  • 1.8-meter hollow curved cranial crest used for low-frequency acoustic blasts
  • Powerful muscular hindquarters capable of bipedal escape sprints
  • Hundreds of grinding cheek teeth forming a dental battery

Movies vs. science

Myth: Sometimes depicted as an aquatic animal that used its crest as a snorkel.

Reality: The crest was closed at the tip and served strictly as an acoustic resonating chamber.

Size & simulator stats

Estimated at about 9 m long. The Natural History Museum lists a mass near 5 tonnes; both figures are reconstructions.

Length
9.5 m
Height
2.8 m
Weight
3.6 t

Illustrative simulator values (not measured biology)

Attack60/100
Defense76/100
Speed78/100
Intelligence82/100
Bite force ≈ 1,500 PSI

See how Parasaurolophus measures up in the sourced size comparison chart.

Habitat

Lush coastal floodplains, swamp forests, and river deltas of North America.

North America; fossils are known from the United States and Canada.

Diet

Herbivore feeding on pine needles, twigs, leaves, and seeds with grinding dental battery.

Herbivore. A beak and rows of replacement teeth were adapted for cropping and grinding plant material.

Fossils & discovery

First described from Canada & United States in 1920 (Dinosaur Park Formation (Alberta) & Kaiparowits Formation (Utah)).Scientists CT-scanned a fossil crest and ran computer acoustic simulations, creating an authentic audio recording of the booming foghorn call it produced 75 million years ago.

Research sources

Sources checked on by the Dinosaurs Names Editorial Team. Editorial policy

Battle Arena

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