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Corythosaurus

By Bob Strauss, About.com

Corythosaurus (Wikimedia Commons)

Name:

Corythosaurus (Greek for "Corinthian-helmet lizard"); pronounced core-ith-oh-SORE-us

Habitat:

Forests of North America

Historical Period:

Late Cretaceous (75 million years ago)

Size and Weight:

About 30 feet long and 5 tons

Diet:

Plants

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Large, bony crest on head; ground-hugging posture

About Corythosaurus:

As you can guess from its name, the most distinctive feature of the hadrosaur Corythosaurus was the prominent crest on its head, which looked a bit like the helmet worn by the ancient Greeks of Corinth. However, unlike bone-headed dinosaurs such as Pachycephalosaurus, this crest wasn't used to establish dominance by head-butting other dinosaurs, but for display and communication purposes.

In a spectacular bit of applied paleontology, researchers have created models of Corythosaurus' hollow head crests, and found that they create a booming sound when funneled with air. It's clear that this large, gentle herbivore used its crest to signal to others of its species--though we may never know whether these sounds broadcast sexual availability or warned about the presence of carnivores.

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