Image: Hadrosaur skull cross-section
Cross-section of a Parasaurolophus (hadrosaur) skull showing nasal passages.
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- © Australian Museum
Additional information
Parasaurolophus had crests that fully developed at maturity and may have varied in size depending on the sex. It is also likely that crests helped produce distinctive sounds. These factors suggest this species lived in social groups where communication and display were important.
What sounds did a hadrosaur make?
Pumping air through different-sized chambers gives us an idea of the types of noises hadrosaurs may have made. Other dinosaurs, like some iguanodontians and ankylosaurs, had complex nasal passages. These could have been used to produce or amplify sounds.
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Tags hadrosaur, dinosaurs, skull, Parasaurolophus, cross-section, nasal passages, sounds, communication,
