Genus
Valid Extinct

Prosaurolophus

Brown 1916
Etymology before Saurolophus

Prosaurolophus is a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of North America. It is known from the remains of at least 25 individuals, including skulls and skeletons, but this remains obscure. Its fossils have been found in the late Campanian-aged Dinosaur Park Formation in Alberta, and the roughly contemporaneous Two Medicine Formation in Montana, dating to around 75.7 to 74.1 million years ago. Its most recognizable feature is a small solid crest formed by the nasal bones, sticking up in front of the eyes. The type species is P. maximus, described by American paleontologist Barnum Brown of the American Museum of Natural History in 1916. A second species, P. blackfeetensis, was described by Jack Horner of the Museum of the Rockies in 1992. However, subsequent research has found P. blackfeetensis to be synonymous with P. maximus making the genus monotypic.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
15
Group
Dinosaures
Herbivore Ground dwelling, gregarious Terrestrial
Prosaurolophus
click to enlarge
Exhibit in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This exhibit is old enough so that it is in the public domain, and photography was permitted in the museum. I took this photograph and release it into the public domain. © Daderot · CC0 · Wikimedia
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
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Ornithischia Unranked clade
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Neornithischia Unranked clade
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Pyrodontia Unranked clade
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Cerapoda Unranked clade
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Ornithopoda Suborder
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Iguanodontia Infraorder
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Euiguanodontia Unranked clade
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Dryomorpha Unranked clade
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Ankylopollexia Unranked clade
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Styracosterna Unranked clade
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Hadrosauriformes Unranked clade
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Hadrosauroidea Unranked clade
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Hadrosauridae Family
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Hadrosaurinae Subfamily
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Saurolophini Tribe
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Prosaurolophus Genus
Measurements
Length
7,6 m ⓘ
9,3 m ⓘ
Prosaurolophus maximus
Mass
3 500 kg ⓘ
Prosaurolophus maximus
Fossil sites 15 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇨🇦 Canada
12
🇺🇸 United States
3
Geological formations
Bearpaw Shale
3
Temporal distribution
Campanian (83.6–72.2 Ma)
15
Species (2)
Prosaurolophus blackfeetensis subjective synonym of Prosaurolophus maximus 84 Ma
Prosaurolophus maximus 84 Ma
Images 2
Bibliography
Original description
B. Brown. 1916. A new crested trachodont dinosaur, Prosaurolophus maximus. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 35(37):701-708
Bibliography (11)
E. T. Drysdale, F. Therrien, and D. K. Zelenitsky, D. B. Weishampel, D. C. Evans. 2019. Description of juvenile specimens of Prosaurolophus maximus (Hadrosauridae: Saurolophinae) from the Upper Cretaceous Bearpaw Formation of southern Alberta, Canada, reveals ontogenetic changes in crest morphology. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 38(6):e1547310:1-20 DOI ↗
R. C. McKellar, E. Jones, and M. S. Engel, R. Tappert, A. P. Wolfe, K. Muehlenbachs, P. Cockx, E. B. Koppelhus, P. J. Currie. 2019. A direct association between amber and dinosaur remains provides paleoecological insights. Scientific Reports 9(17916):1-7 DOI ↗
D. C. Evans, C. T. McGarrity, and M. J. Ryan. 2014. A skull of Prosaurolophus maximus from southeastern Alberta and the spatiotemporal distribution of faunal zones in the Dinosaur Park Formation. Hadrosaurs
M. T. Carrano. 2006. Fossil Vertebrate Collections, Museum of the Rockies
D. J. Varricchio. 1993. Taphonomy of Jack's Birthday site, a diverse dinosaur bone bed. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 13(3, suppl.):61A
R. R. Rogers. 1991. Taphonomy of three dinosaur bone beds in the Upper Cretaceous Two Medicine Formation of Northwestern Monana: evidence for drought-related mortality. Palaios 5:394-413 DOI ↗
J. Danis. 1986. Quarries of Dinosaur Provincial Park. In B. G. Naylor (ed.), Field Trip Guidebook to Dinosaur Provincial Park, 2 June 1986. Dinosaur Systematics Symposium, Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Drumheller, Alberta
P. J. Currie. 1980. Mesozoic vertebrate life in Alberta and British Columbia. Mesozoic Vertebrate Life 1:27-40
C. M. Sternberg. 1950. Notes and annotated list of quarries. Map 969A. Steveville, west of fourth meridian, Alberta. Canada Department of Mines and Technical Surveys, Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa
R. S. Lull and N. E. Wright. 1942. Hadrosaurian dinosaurs of North America. Geological Society of America Special Paper 40:1-242 DOI ↗
B. Brown. 1916. A new crested trachodont dinosaur, Prosaurolophus maximus. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 35(37):701-708