Parasaurolophus

near crested lizard

• para · Greek · near, beside
• saura · Greek · lizard
• lophos · Greek · crest

The name means "near crested lizard" or "beside crested lizard". It was chosen because the animal was closely similar to Saurolophus, another crested hadrosaur. Parasaurolophus is best known for the long, hollow, backward-curving crest on its skull, which is thought to have been used for sound production and display.

Named by

Parks

Year named

1922

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stages

Campanian – Maastrichtian

Found in

Dinosaur Park, Kirtland and Fruitland formations, Alberta, Canada, and New Mexico and Utah, USA

A hadrosaurid (duck-billed dinosaur). The type species is P. walkeri. Other species include P. tubicen and P. cyrtocristatus.