Parasaurolophus

* Evolution 2
* Database
* Evolution
* 1997

* Evolution 2
* Evolution

***Parasaurolophus***, or ***Parasaur*** for short, is a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur that originated from Late Cretaceous North America.

*Parasaurolophus* fossils are first unlocked on Isla Tacaño then excavated from the Dinosaur Park Formation, Kirtland Formation, and Nemegt Formation.

## History

Originating in Late Cretaceous North America, *Parasaurolophus* was among the first species cloned by InGen for Jurassic Park on Isla Nublar. By 1993, a herd of fifteen animals was present on Nublar, while thirteen were present on InGen's Site B facility on nearby Isla Sorna. After the park was abandoned in 1993, continued attacks by Nublar's *Tyrannosaurus* had reduced the *Parasaur* population on the island to nine by 1994, with the remaining dinosaurs congregating close to other large herbivores for protection.

Following the abandonment of Isla Sorna soon after the Jurassic Park Incident, the *Parasaurolophus* were left to fend for themselves. During the 1997 incident, several *Parasaurolophus* were briefly captured by InGen.

In 2001, several *Parasaurolophus* were briefly encountered by those involved with the Isla Sorna Rescue Mission. They were found living alongside other herds of *Corythosaurus*.

Upon the opening of Jurassic World in 2004, *Parasaurolophus* was one of the many species exhibited on Isla Nublar, living peacefully alongside other species of herbivores. Juvenile *Parasaurs* could be approached by visitors in the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo, while adults were seen congregating in the Gyrosphere Valley.

Three years after the 2015 Isla Nublar Incident, many *Parasaurolophus* were transported to the Lockwood Manor in California, USA. These dinosaurs were later released into the wilds of Northern California by Maisie Lockwood.

A year after the events at Lockwood Manor, a *Parasaurolophus* was seen drinking from a river by several people on a canoe.

Four years after the events at Lockwood Manor, herds of *Parasaurolophus* roamed the North American wilderness freely alongside feral horses, and some were taken to a sanctuary created by BioSyn.

## Characteristics

Among the most well-known member of the hadrosaurs, *Parasaurolophus* is an average sized hadrosaur native to North America, measuring around nine meters in length, but is otherwise famously distinguished by its prominent, curved head crest, which extends out from the back of its head. Its name translates to "*Near-Crested Lizard*". While it usually walks on four legs, it can rear up onto two legs if it needs to run or reach food in high places. The base cosmetic gene of the *Parasaurolophus* has a light brown body, a white underbelly, a reddish back and crest, and dark brown stripes on its legs.

Unlocked sequentially after *Corythosaurus*, the dinosaur's requirements present the player with a moderate increase in complexity as it is the first hadrosaur they will encounter with a social group minimum requirement of 4. Its other requirements are relatively easy to manage, with a moderately long lifespan and fairly good resistance to illness, it differs in that it can be kept in a smaller exhibit than other dinosaurs. Its incubation cost is also relatively low.

### Behaviour

*Parasaurolophus* behaves similarly to the other hadrosaurs and is able to socialize and herd with them in normal circumstances. A herd is a necessity for this dinosaur due to their high minimum social requirements. They can otherwise mix well with other herbivorous dinosaurs with large maximum population limits.

Like all other hadrosaurs, *Parasaurolophus* is vulnerable to predation from most carnivores, meaning that its sole defense against predators is to avoid them.

## Paleontology

*Parasaurolophus* was first discovered by a group from the University of Toronto in Alberta, Canada in 1920 near Sand Creek, along the Red Deer River in Alberta, Canada when a team of paleontologists led by William Parks discovered a skull and an incomplete skeleton. Another partial skull was unearthed in New Mexico the following year, and over the next 100 years many more specimens have been unearthed and attributed to *Parasaurolophus*. Since then further fossils were located in the Fruitland Formation of New Mexico in North America, and the Kaiparowits Formation in Utah. The name *Parasaurolophus* means "*Near Crested Lizard*", as early paleontologists originally believed this dinosaur was a direct relative of a genus called *Saurolophus,* though this is no longer accepted.

The dinosaur is known for its distinctive head crest, a point of discussion for many years since the genus was discovered. Some early paleontologists thought, among other theories, that it was used as a defensive weapon or as a way to push branches out of the way as it roamed through dense growth. The most common belief, especially in modern times and for all other crested hadrosaurs, is that the crests were used as an amplifying chamber for communication and for displaying to potential mates.

In-game, *Parasaurolophus* fossils can be found in the Nemegt Formation in Asia, despite no specimens of the dinosaur having never been found there. This may be a reference to *Saurolophus*, which *Parasaurolophus'* name references, or to *Charonosaurus*, a large Asian hadrosaurid that greatly resembled *Parasaurolophus*.

### Paleoecology

Found across the western United States, Canada and even as far away as Asia, *Parasaurolophus* lived in a seasonal and warm, swampy environment with lots of rivers and floodplains dating back around 75 million years to the Late Cretaceous period. There, it alongside other dinosaurs such as the hadrosaur *Corythosaurus*, the ceratopsians *Chasmosaurus*, *Pentaceratops*, *Styracosaurus*, and *Centrosaurus*, the ornithomimid *Struthiomimus*, the armored *Ankylosaurus*, *Euoplocephalus*, and *Edmontonia*, as well as the tyrannosaurid *Albertosaurus*.

Conifers formed the common canopy, with ferns, tree ferns and angiosperms for the lower brush. In New Mexico the environment was predominantly swampy in the region, and silted in the lowlands of the region. The known sites in Utah bordered the Western Interior Seaway, which once separated the two landmasses of what is now North America. The region was wet and humid, with peat swamps, ponds and lakes upon an ancient floodplain.

## Available genomes

 Kirtland Formation | ★★★★★★★★★★
 Nemegt Formation | ★★★★★★★★★

## Skins

* Base Game
* Return to Jurassic Park

 NULL

 COASTAL

 SAVANNAH

 TAIGA

 WETLAND

 WOODLAND

 Coastal: Isla Tacaño Challenge Mode Any Difficulty Unlock

 1997

 1997 A

 1997 B

 1997 C

 1997 D

 2001

 1997 D: Isla Sorna (1993) Challenge Mode Any Difficulty Unlock
## Behind the scenes

The design of the *Parasaurolophus* in *Evolution* is based on its depiction on the pre-production models made for 1997's *The Lost World: Jurassic Park*. The audio files used in the film were provided by Universal Pictures, in order to help the development team create the most authentic representation of the dinosaur. It was first revealed in the announcement trailer that was released at Gamescom 2017. It received a Species Profile on March 9, 2018.

For the *Return to Jurassic Park* expansion pack, *Parasaurolophus* received six additional cosmetic skins that are based on its various depictions in the *Jurassic* series.

## Gallery

Evolution Database images
VideosSpecies Profile - Parasaurolophus
Images
## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 *What Killed the Gene Guard Act?*. (February 23, 2018). Dinosaur Protection Group. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
2. ↑ Spielberg, Steven. (Director). (1997). *The Lost World: Jurassic Park* [Film]. Universal Pictures.
3. ↑ Johnston, Joe. (Director). (2001). *Jurassic Park III* [Film]. Universal Pictures.
4. ↑ Trevorrow, Colin. (Director). (2015). *Jurassic World* [Film]. Universal Pictures.
5. ↑ Bayona, J. A. (Director). (2018). *Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom* [Film]. Universal Pictures.
6. ↑ Trevorrow, Colin. (Director). (2019). *Battle at Big Rock* [Short film]. Universal Pictures.
7. ↑ Trevorrow, Colin. (Director). (2022). *Jurassic World Dominion* [Film]. Universal Pictures.
8. ↑ Stan Winston School [@SWinstonSchool]. (March 31, 2017). *Only for you! Parasaurolophus models for The Lost World: #JurassicPark @ #StanWinstonStudio.* [Tweet]. Twitter.
9. ↑ Krupa, Daniel (May 16, 2018). HOW JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION MADE ITS T.REX - IGN FIRST *IGN*. Retrieved June 14, 2018
10. ↑ PlayStation Europe. (August 21, 2017). *Jurassic World Evolution | Announcement Trailer | PS4* [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
11. ↑ Frontier Developments. (March 9, 2018). *Species Profile - Parasaurolophus* [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 26, 2019.