Organism · Dinosaurs
Parasaurolophus walkeri
Source time context (not species duration) · ≈ 143–66 Ma
Inferred life reconstruction
Parasaurolophus walkeri
Overview
Parasaurolophus walkeri was a plant-eating dinosaur with a striking tubular crest extending far behind its head. Inside the crest, passages connect to the nostrils. This head ornament raises questions about its relationship to sound.[3][1]
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Key facts
Parks, who described it, wanted to examine the long crest closely but also needed to protect the specimen. He wrote that although he observed a cross-section of the broken crest, he did not cut it lengthwise to avoid damaging the bone. Decisions about preserving specimens accompanied the study of this unusual body.[4]
Time and place
It is presented as a North American animal of the Late Cretaceous, around 75 million years ago. The type specimen came from near the Red Deer River in present-day Alberta, Canada. Modern studies place it in the Dinosaur Park Formation, inviting comparison with formation names in older literature.[1][4][5]
The time range describes source context, not the complete duration of this species.
Size, form and skeleton
A hollow, tubular crest extending far behind the head is characteristic. A study cites an estimated body length of about 9.45 m for the walkeri type specimen ROM768. The proportions of its large body and long head crest can be examined together.[3][1]
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Habitat and reproduction
It was a plant-eating hadrosaur dinosaur. Its way of life is explored by comparing skulls, bodies, and crests within the group. Air passages in the crest offer intriguing clues for research into possible communication by sound.[3][1]
Fossil discovery
In 1920, Dippell of a University of Toronto expedition discovered the fossil in Alberta. Levi Sternberg supervised excavation and assembly of the museum skeleton. Parks described the new genus and species in 1922, naming it in honor of Walker.[4]
References
- Parasaurolophus walkeri — NHM genus guide
- Campione & Evans2011 — Cranial growth and variation in Edmontosaurus
- Farke et al.2013 — Growth and cranial crest of Parasaurolophus
- Parks1922 — Original description of Parasaurolophus walkeri
- 2021 study — Bone lesions in the type skeleton of Parasaurolophus
- Weishampel1981 — Acoustic analysis of lambeosaurine crests
- Stockey, Rothwell & Johnson2007 — Connected aquatic plant fossils of Cobbania
- Farke et al.2013 — Growth and cranial crest of Parasaurolophus
- Natural History Museum — Parasaurolophus
- Parks1922 — Original description of Parasaurolophus walkeri
- 2021 study — Bone lesions in the type skeleton of Parasaurolophus
- Farke et al. 2013 — Growth of Parasaurolophus
Research questions
What sounds might the hollow crest have produced? A 1981 acoustics study interpreted the internal nasal structures of lambeosaurine crests as favorable for resonance. Comparison with Edmontosaurus, which lacked a bony crest, reveals the diversity of head structures among related dinosaurs.[6][1]
Observation
Follow the outline from the beak over the head and along the crest extending backward. Imagine the passages connected to the nostrils within that outer outline.[3]
Related organisms
Edmontosaurus annectensDinosaursFossil record age bounds · ≈ 83.6–66 MaHadrosaurs with different head crests
Compare the long, tubular crest of Parasaurolophus with Edmontosaurus, which lacked a bony crest. Examining different heads among related animals allows exploration of relationships between head structure and way of life.
Cobbania corrugataFlowering plantsSource time context (not species duration) · ≈ 84–72 MaWater plants and dinosaurs of the Dinosaur Park Formation
Cobbania and Parasaurolophus walkeri are Late Cretaceous organisms known from the Dinosaur Park Formation in present-day Alberta, Canada. Compare trumpet-shaped leaves spread over the water with a tubular crest extending behind the head to encounter the diverse forms of plants and animals preserved in the same formation.