❃ A Parasaurolophus was a herbivorous dinosaur that lived in the late Cretaceous period. It was a large animal, up to 6 m (20 ft) long, and weighed up to 4 metric tons (4.4 short tons). The Parasaurolophus had a long neck and tail, and a small head. It is best known for its distinctive crest, which was up to 1.8 m (5.9 ft) long in some specimens.
❃ The function of the crest is not known for certain, but it may have been used to make sounds, to help the animal regulate its body temperature, or for display. It was a member of the Hadrosauridae, a family of dinosaurs known as "duck-billed" dinosaurs for their similarity to waterfowl.
❃ The Parasaurolophus was native to North America and Asia, and was one of the last non-avian dinosaurs to exist before the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. It was one of the most common dinosaurs in its environment, and is known from many well-preserved specimens.