Post by Delirious on Oct 11, 2015 13:22:04 GMT 2
Parasaurolophus
Male
Female
©2015 DeliriouStudios
Name Meaning: Near Crested Lizard
Diet: Herbivore
Size: About the hight of a double-decker bus.
Time: Late Cretaceous (84 - 80 million years ago)
Appearance
Parasaurolophus is estimated to be about 9.5 m (31 ft) in length, and its weight is estimated at 2.5 tonnes (2.8 short tons). Its skull is about 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) long, including the crest. Parasaurolophus was a herbivore that walked both as a biped and a quadruped (on all four legs and on its back legs). Parasaurolophus was a hadrosaurid, part of a diverse family of Cretaceous dinosaurs known for their range of bizarre head adornments. This genus is known for its large, elaborate cranial crest, which at its largest forms a long curved tube projecting upwards and back from the skull. The crest is a long resonating chamber connected to the nose creating a eardrum piercing booming sound to deter predators. Females have smaller crests than the males.
They would walk on all fours much like the modern cow, but would run on their hind legs and would tuck their front legs under their belly. Not to increase in speed, but to increase stamina, able to run large distances without stopping for a breather. They would also reach up to the tree tops on their hind legs using their large heavy tails as counter balances.
Here is a video of how these creatures actually sounded like;
Behaviour
As a hadrosaurid, Parasaurolophus was a large bipedal/quadrupedal herbivore, eating plants with a sophisticated skull that permitted a grinding motion analogous to chewing. Its teeth were continually being replaced. They likely lived in large migrating herds much like the herbivorous of Africa today, travelling with the seasons and returning to a breeding ground where they would lay their eggs then begin the whole journey again. It is likely they the herds had either matriarchs like elephants, an alpha male like antelope or whether they mated for life with a partner.
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