The Lambeosaur Identity Crises of 1975
Initially, the smaller crests of some lambeosaurs from the Dinosaur Park Formation in Alberta were thought to represent a genus called "Procheneosaurus", christened by William Parks in 1920. In 1975, paleontologist Peter Dodson reassessed these skulls and found that they belonged to juveniles of larger local lambeosaurs such as Corythosaurus and Lambeosaurus itself. Ironically, the name Lambeosaurus was crafted three years after "Procheneosaurus", but ended up superceding it (unlike Brontosaurus, now valid once more).
Parasaurolophus also went through an identity crisis, though this one had to do with sex rather than genus. The same year as Dodson's "Procheneosaurus" paper, another hadrosaur expert called James Hopson believed he had found proof of sexual dimorphism in these lambeosaurs, with males sporting larger crests than females. Presumably, this difference in size would have made the males' appearance (and perhaps their mating calls) more appealing to potential mates. This hypothesis was based on skulls from New Mexico and has since been rejected, as the New Mexico skulls are now known to have represented two separate species: The older, short-crested Parasaurolophus cyrtocristatus and the younger, long-crested Parasaurolophus tubicen.
1) "Joey", the baby Parasaurolophus- Discovered in the Kaiparowits Formation of Utah in 2009 and measured about 8 feet (2.4 m) long. Probably belongs to Parasaurolophus cyrtocristatus.
2) Parasaurolophus cyrtocristatus- From the Kaiparowits Formation of Utah (76.1-74 MYA) and the Fruitland Formation of New Mexico (75.5-74.5 MYA).
3) Parasaurolophus walkeri- From the Dinosaur Park Formation in Alberta (76.5-75.3 MYA). This was the first species of Parasaurolophus described and seems to be the one that most artistic depictions of this animal are based on.
4) Parasaurolophus tubicen- From the Kirtland Formation of New Mexico (74.3-73 MYA).
COMING SOON:
A colored, skin-and-muscle version of the last drawing and a link to my review of Jurassic World.
Initially, the smaller crests of some lambeosaurs from the Dinosaur Park Formation in Alberta were thought to represent a genus called "Procheneosaurus", christened by William Parks in 1920. In 1975, paleontologist Peter Dodson reassessed these skulls and found that they belonged to juveniles of larger local lambeosaurs such as Corythosaurus and Lambeosaurus itself. Ironically, the name Lambeosaurus was crafted three years after "Procheneosaurus", but ended up superceding it (unlike Brontosaurus, now valid once more).
Parasaurolophus also went through an identity crisis, though this one had to do with sex rather than genus. The same year as Dodson's "Procheneosaurus" paper, another hadrosaur expert called James Hopson believed he had found proof of sexual dimorphism in these lambeosaurs, with males sporting larger crests than females. Presumably, this difference in size would have made the males' appearance (and perhaps their mating calls) more appealing to potential mates. This hypothesis was based on skulls from New Mexico and has since been rejected, as the New Mexico skulls are now known to have represented two separate species: The older, short-crested Parasaurolophus cyrtocristatus and the younger, long-crested Parasaurolophus tubicen.
2) Parasaurolophus cyrtocristatus- From the Kaiparowits Formation of Utah (76.1-74 MYA) and the Fruitland Formation of New Mexico (75.5-74.5 MYA).
3) Parasaurolophus walkeri- From the Dinosaur Park Formation in Alberta (76.5-75.3 MYA). This was the first species of Parasaurolophus described and seems to be the one that most artistic depictions of this animal are based on.
4) Parasaurolophus tubicen- From the Kirtland Formation of New Mexico (74.3-73 MYA).
COMING SOON:
A colored, skin-and-muscle version of the last drawing and a link to my review of Jurassic World.
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