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Plesiolophus

Say it: PLEE-see-oh-LOH-fus

Name means: “near crest”1

Ate: PlantsDuck-billsLate Cretaceous

Plesiolophus was a duck-billed dinosaur that lived about 77 million years ago in what is now Canada. It had a flat head without a big crest, unlike its later relative Parasaurolophus. This plant-eater walked on two legs or all fours and could probably run fast to escape predators.1 2

Lived

84 to 72 million years ago3

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Oldman Formation near Warner, Alberta, Canada1 2

Food

Plants3 1

Length

6 to 8 m1

estimated based on related hadrosaurs

Weight

2 tonnes to 3 tonnes1

Height

2 to 2.5 m1

at the hips

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How tall was it?

at the hips

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 2 cars

as long as 8 dogs nose to tailas long as 44 bananas end to endas heavy as 100 big dogsas heavy as 600 watermelonsabout as tall as a door

How big was Plesiolophus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Plesiolophus is one of the oldest known members of the Parasaurolophini group, which includes the famous Parasaurolophus with its long curved crest.1 2

Its skull had more primitive features than later parasaurolophins, meaning it looked more like earlier duck-billed dinosaurs.1

The only fossil found so far is a partial skull roof and braincase, discovered by fossil hunter Wendy Sloboda.1 2

Scientists think Plesiolophus might be a direct ancestor of Parasaurolophus, because it lived in older rocks and had a simpler skull.2

Plesiolophus lived alongside other dinosaurs like the horned dinosaur Centrosaurus and the tyrannosaur Daspletosaurus.1

Its name means 'near crest' because it is closely related to Parasaurolophus but lacks the big crest.1

AI-made picture of Plesiolophus — An AI-made picture of how Plesiolophus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Plesiolophus

?How big was Plesiolophus?

Scientists do not know for sure because only a partial skull has been found, so its full size is unknown.1

?Did Plesiolophus have a crest?

No, Plesiolophus had a flat head without a big crest, unlike its relative Parasaurolophus.1

?What did Plesiolophus eat?

Plesiolophus was a plant-eater, like all hadrosaurs. It used its duck-like beak and rows of teeth to chew tough plants.1

?When did Plesiolophus live?

Plesiolophus lived about 77 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period.1

?Where was Plesiolophus found?

Its fossil was discovered in the Oldman Formation of Alberta, Canada, near the town of Warner.1

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Myth buster

Myth: Plesiolophus had a large hollow crest like Parasaurolophus.

Truth: Plesiolophus had a flat skull without a crest, showing that early parasaurolophins did not have the big crests of later species.1 2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Plesiolophus
Named by: McFeeters et al. 20263
Group: Duck-bills
Family / clade: Hadrosauridae3
Classification: Ornithischia > Ornithopoda > Iguanodontia > Hadrosauridae3
Age of the rocks: 84 to 72 million years (Campanian)3
Rock formations: Oldman3
Countries: Canada3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: The fossil was found by Wendy Sloboda near Warner, Alberta, Canada, and was named by Bradley McFeeters and colleagues in 2026. The species name warnerensis honors the town of Warner.1 2
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if Plesiolophus is a direct ancestor of Parasaurolophus or just a close relative, because the fossil is incomplete.2

Where the facts come from

Plesiolophus (en.wikipedia.org)
New Crested Dinosaur Species Identified in Canada | Sci.News (sci.news)
Plesiolophus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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