Parasaurolophus had a broad flat mouth that looked like a duck's beak. It was a very unusual looking dinosaur :) Let’s find out about this strange-looking Late Cretaceous dinosaur … The word ‘Parasaurolophus’ means ‘near-crested lizard’. Parasaurolophus’s most distinctive feature was a large crest that emerged from the back of its head. These bony crest on top of its head is believed to have grown as long as 6 feet long. Some scientists believe that air could be pushed through this crest and that enabled this dinosaur to make low frequency sounds. This means that it could use it like a wood wind instrument. In fact, the canals that exist inside of it look very muchy like a European Crumhorn. Parasaurolophus lived between 76.5 to 74.5 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous period. This dinosaur is estimated to have been about 40 feet long, 8 feet tall at the hips and weigh about 2 tons. Parasaurolophus was a relatively large herbivore of the hadrosaurid family. Parasaurolophus is believed to have been a land based herbivore. This means that its diet probably consisted of ginkos, pine needles and leaves. While not a giant, parasaurolophus was a relatively large dinosaur. It would have towered above an average human. How Big Was Parasaurolophus? You can see how big parasaurolophus was in the image above. It is also believed that this dinosaur not only traveled on all four legs but could also run on two legs when necessary. While the exact intelligence of this dinosaur can’t be accurately determined, many scientist believe that it has an average intelligence among other dinosaurs for its time. For example, it is believed that it wasn’t as smart as Carnosaurs, but that it wasn’t as dumb as Stegosaurs. This dinosaur is also believed to have been a herd animal—much like buffalo are. I was amazed that a Parasaurolophus was able to preserved so young; it gives me hope that even more juvenile dinosaurs can be found! I hope that you have enjoyed finding out all about parasaurolophus. This strange-looking crested dinosaur proves that a dinosaur doesn’t have to be a meat eater like T Rex to be interesting!