Fun Parksosaurus Facts For Kids

The Parksosaurus was a herbivore dinosaur that lived in the tropical region of North America a million years ago. Remains of this species were found in the Horseshoe Canyon Formation. This new species is considered to be hypsilophodont. These dinosaurs belong to the Parksosaurus genus and have a very interesting story behind their name. The fossil site is often in the range of Canada to America; Sternberg and Alberta are also better known for having fossil remains of this species. This herbivorous is a genus of hypsilophodonts from the very early Maastrichtian age. It was described that this species belonged to the upper Cretaceous age of Alberta, specifically the Horseshoe Canyon to be more detailed when talking about habitat.

This species is considerably thin in comparison to other dinosaurs of its size and is ossified. These dinosaurs are classified under hypsilophodontidae. Most studies on these Parksosaurus dinosaurs are done by Warren and Paul. More information was introduced to the world after research on the partial skull of this ornithopod. The Parksosaurus skull helped to research the body size, the head, and the neck area of this discovered species. The Parksosaurus dinosaur is said to be a robust species despite its tiny figure. Parksosaurus size wildlife in today's age can be seen reflecting on various larger animals from the savannah. To learn more about such amazing animals and their differences, make sure to check out our articles on the saber-toothed cat and the sea-sponge.

How do you pronounce 'Parksosaurus'?

The Parksosaurus is assumed to be the last known ornithopod. This species was around 2.5 meters in height and was classified as hypsilophodonts. It can be pronounced as 'park-sow-saw-rus'. Part of the reason why they got their name is because their remains were collected by William Parks and they were also found in the formation of Alberta.

What type of dinosaur was a Parksosaurus?

The Parksosaurus was always considered to be a hypsilophodont. However, earlier they were mentioned under the classification of Thescelosaurus and were called Thescelosaurus edmontonensis neglectus. Later, upon close inspection of their weight, toes, teeth, tail, and diet it became clear that they are a hypsilophodont.

In which geological period did the Parksosaurus roam the Earth?

They walked on Earth during the late Cretaceous time and were originally assumed to be the classification of Thescelosaurus. After a further classification of the specimen, their head or partial skull area provided a number of differences between them and their related species the Thescelosaurus neglectus.

When did the Parksosaurus become extinct?

This species used to live at the Edmonton formation, with a diet herbivore. Although hunting by predators was a reason for the population decline of this new species that was 2.5 meters tall, they went extinct due to unfavorable climates on Earth.

Where did a Parksosaurus live?

The Parksosaurus habitat is considered to be a few regions of North America and Canada. They share close relations with the Thescelosaurus edmontonensis, both with a similar height of 2.5 meters as assumed by Paul. This species also lived in regions such as Sternberg during the early and late Cretaceous period.

What was a Parksosaurus's habitat?

The Parksosaurus name means William Parks' lizard, as they were discovered by paleontologist William Parks. This genus was closely related to Thescelosaurus neglectus, thus therefore famously called the Thescelosaurus warreni. It was only after the classification of Thescelosaurus they were accepted as a new species and were assumed to be living in the Horseshoe Canyon Formation.

Who did a Parksosaurus live with?

It can be said that during the Cretaceous time many dinosaurs lived with the Thescelosaurus warreni neglectus. Walking with dinosaurs Parksosaurus could be considered difficult as they were incredibly fast runners and had evolved legs for that. Other animals that lived with this hypsilophodontidae are ancestors of our modern-day leghorn chickens and parrots.

How long did a Parksosaurus live?

Many researchers with honors in the subject of paleobiology did a search on the lifespan of this William Park's lizard. This herbivorous dinosaur lived around 70 million years ago and the number of years it lived can be difficult to figure out but researchers believed it had a lifespan of 30-40 years.

How did they reproduce?

Like any other animal, these hypsilophodonts also reproduced sexually and laid around 2-3 eggs. However, when it comes to reproduction among dinosaurs not much has been discovered. This Thescelosaurus warreni lived during the Cretaceous age and the specimen found does not reveal much about reproductory habits of this genus.

What did a Parksosaurus look like?

They had long toes for walking in mud and rivers and had strong arms. They are described to have had a horny and sharp beak and a small skull, along with a strong and short thigh. The neck was very long and the skull was small. They had powerful ribs and hindlimbs and a thin ossified cartilaginous. They used to walk on two legs, they were around 2-3 meters tall, and they had a long tail. The specimen resembled other animals such as the Thescelosaurus edmontonensis due to similar body length, diet, and appeared to have very few differences. However, later their fossil revealed many differences, and this animal was described under a different classification.

How many bones did a Parksosaurus have?

Its not known how many bones they had, but they had 18 teeth and were herbivorous. They had bones as part of their ribs, thighs, legs, as well as their toes.

How did they communicate?

Thescelosaurus warreni were smart creatures who lived during the Cretaceous time and often communicated through loud vocal calls and some visual signs. Dinosaurs are capable of communicating both vocally and visually.

How big was a Parksosaurus?

The Thescelosaurus warreni is smaller in length than other animals or dinosaurs which lived nearby. This species had a history with predators and was often easy prey because of its small size. Sumatran tigers are around three times bigger in size than the Parksosaurus. However, this robust dinosaur was two times bigger in size than a cheetah.

How fast could a Parksosaurus move?

Despite their small size, they benefitted greatly from their strong thigh muscles. These dinosaurs could run as fast as 30 miles per hour.

How much did a Parksosaurus weigh?

This animal from Sternberg weighed around 88.18-99.2 lb (40-45 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no designated different names for males and females. Both sexes are called the same name.

What would you call a baby Parksosaurus?

Baby dinosaurs are addressed with the name nestlings like other reptiles.

What did they eat?

A diet herbivore is followed by dinosaurs of this genus. Much research on fossils of the Parksosaurus from other areas such as Sternberg also revealed their herbivore diet.

How aggressive were they?

The Parksosaurus was not aggressive in a general setting; however, it often ran very fast when hunted by a predator.

Did you know...

Only two different specimens of this family was found by paleontologists.

How did the Parksosaurus get its name?

There is a very interesting story behind the Parksosaurus getting its name. It is called various names, such as Thescelosaurus warreni and Park's lizard. It was found near the Edmonton formation by William Parks, thus from here, it got the 'park'. Mrs. H D warren worked tirelessly on the history and research of this dinosaur. It is better known today only because of her incredible research, thus it got its other name Thescelosaurus warreni. The Parksosaurus name is due to researchers who made it possible to gain info on the species.

What's unique about the Parksosaurus?

The most unique thing about the Parksosaurus is its speed and how quick these dinosaurs were. They could run as fast as 30 mph (48 kph).

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures from our Howler monkey facts and probosci's monkey facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Parksosaurus connect the dots dinosaur coloring pages.