Episode Details

In this episode of pplpod, we travel back 76 million years to the Late Cretaceous to explore one of the most distinctive dinosaurs ever discovered: Parasaurolophus. Known for its magnificent, tube-like cranial crest, this duck-billed dinosaur (hadrosaurid) has puzzled paleontologists since its discovery in Alberta in 1920.

We break down the three recognized species—P. walkeri, P. tubicen, and P. cyrtocristatus—and investigate the true function of their bizarre headgear. We debunk the old "snorkel" and "weapon" theories and look at modern evidence suggesting the crest served as a visual display and a resonating chamber for dinosaur communication. Tune in to discover how scientists used computer modeling to recreate the haunting, low-frequency sounds of this ancient herbivore and learn what life was like for this herd animal in the floodplains of North America.