Parasaurolophus Facts for Kids

A Picture of Parasaurolophus Walkeri
  • Species Type: Parasaurolophus Walkeri
  • Type of Dinosaur: Ornithopoda
  • Period: Late Cretaceous Period
  • Diet: Foliage (herbivorous)
  • Lifespan: Unknown
  • Length: 31 feet (average)
  • Weight: 2.8 tons (average)

16 Parasaurolophus Facts for Kids

  1. The Parasaurolophus was discovered in 1920, by a University of Toronto field party along the Red Deer River in Alberta, Canada.
  2. The Parasaurolophus got its scientific name Parasaurolophus walkeri in 1922, by William Parks.
  3. William Parks named the Parasaurolophus walkeri in honor of Sir Byron Edmund Walker, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Ontario Museum.
  4. The name Parasaurolophus means: “Near Crested Lizard”.
  5. The name Parasaurolophus is pronounced: “par-ah-SAWR-OL-uh-fus”.
  6. The Parasaurolophus was part of a group of dinosaurs known as ornithopods.
  7. They lived in the Late Cretaceous Period between 73 and 76.5 million years ago.
  8. The holotype specimen (ROM 768) has an estimated length of 31 feet.
  9. The holotype specimen (ROM 768) has an estimated weight of 2.8 tons.
  10. Parasaurolophus was a herbivore and ate a wide variety of vegetation, some as high as 13 feet off the ground.
  11. The Parasaurolophus had hundreds of teeth that were stacked into multiple rows. As teeth were wore down, new ones would work their way up.
  12. One of the most notable features of a Parasaurolophus is their long, curved cranial crest, that extended back and pointed down towards their shoulders.
  13. Paleontologists think the Parasaurolophus walked on four legs (quadrupedal), but that it also had the ability to walk on two legs (bipedal).
  14. Paleontologists aren’t sure what the cranial crest was used for. They believe it may have been used for mating, identifying sex, enhanced hearing or helping to regulate their body temperature.
  15. There are two other species of Parasaurolophus besides P. walkeri, and they are P. tubecin and P. cytrocristatus.
  16. Fossilized Parasaurolophus specimens have been discovered in North America, both in Canada and the United States of America.

Additional Resources on Parasaurolophus

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