Probrachylophosaurus

Name: Probrachylophosaurus ‭(‬Before Brachylophosaurus‭)‬.
Phonetic: Pro-brak-e-lo-fo-sore-us.
Named By: Elizabeth A.‭ ‬Friedman Fowler‭ & ‬John R.‭ ‬Horner‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Ornithopoda,‭ ‬Hadrosauroidea,‭ ‬Hadrosauridae,‭ ‬Saurolophinae.
Species: P.‭ ‬bergei‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Holotype Estimated at up to‭ ‬9‭ ‬meters long.‭ ‬Possibly slightly larger when fully grown.
Known locations: USA,‭ ‬Montana‭ ‬-‭ ‬Judith River Formation.
Time period: Campanian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Partial skull and post cranial remains.




       When described in‭ ‬2015,‭ ‬Probrachylophosaurus made headlines around the world,‭ ‬when it was often dubbed‭ ‘‬superduck‭’‬.‭ ‬This was because Probrachylophosaurus was proposed to be the transitional link between the non-crested genus Acristavus,‭ ‬and the later Brachylophosaurus which has a flat paddle shaped bony crest.‭ ‬Probrachylophosaurus itself has a much smaller triangular crest which shows us how the crest of Brachylophosaurus developed.‭ ‬The name Probrachylophosaurus can be broken down to simply mean‭ ‘‬Before Brachylophosaurus‭’‬.‭ ‬Brachylophosaurus itself means‭ ‘’‬short crested lizard‭’‬,‭ ‬so an alternate translation for Probrachylophosaurus can be‭ ‘‬before short crested lizard‭’‬.
       Probrachylophosaurus is classed as a saurolophine hadrosaurid dinosaur,‭ ‬a kind typified by solid crests of bone,‭ ‬usually small,‭ ‬and sometimes absent in‭ ‬some genera.‭ ‬The crest in Probrachylophosaurus was comparatively small when compared to the later Brachylophosaurus,‭ ‬but while we know the extent of the bony part,‭ ‬we don’t yet know if this was a support for a larger fleshy display structure.‭ ‬This question has now been raised for many saurolphine hadrosaurs ever since it was confirmed that at least one species of the saurolophine hadrosaur Edmontosaurus had a fleshy comb on top of its head where other genera have bony crests.
       Analysis of the growth patterns in the bones of the holotype‭ ‬have indicated that this individual was about fourteen years old when if died.‭ ‬Further analysis however also shows that this individual was not fully grown,‭ ‬and that while the holotype individual has been estimated to be about nine meters long,‭ ‬even older animals might possibly slightly larger.

Further reading
-‭ ‬A New Brachylophosaurin Hadrosaur‭ (‬Dinosauria:‭ ‬Ornithischia‭) ‬with an Intermediate Nasal Crest from the Campanian Judith River Formation of Northcentral Montana.‭ ‬-‭ ‬PLOS ONE,‭ ‬2015‭; ‬10‭ (‬11‭)‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Elizabeth A.‭ ‬Friedman Fowler‭ & ‬John R.‭ ‬Horner‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.



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