Prehistoric animals had several flashy physical traits, from long horns to massive neck frills.
One of the most common traits shared by many dinosaurs is an elaborate crest.
These crests came in various shapes and forms for different dinosaur families.
Cranial crests also served different purposes.
Some were solely for courtship display, while others may have headbutted rivals with it.
Some dinosaurs also had their crests modified into elaborate, sound-producing organs for communication.
Majestic crests were more common in herbivorous dinosaurs (especially the bird-like oviraptors and duck-billed hadrosaurids).
However, a few theropod carnivores also had these elaborate crests.
In this article, we’ll list 15 of the most notable dinosaurs adorned with majestic crests.
15. Chirostenotes
| Name | Chirostenotes |
| Name Meaning | “Narrow-handed” |
| Pronunciation | Ky-ore-sten-o-teez |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia & Theropoda |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Height | 2.1 meters (7 feet) |
| Length | 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) |
| Weight | 20–50 kilograms (44–110 pounds) |
| Location | Canada (North America) |
Chirostenotes was an oviraptorid dinosaur that lived in Canada, North America, during the Late Cretaceous Period.
This dinosaur had a fascinating history, as different parts of its body parts were discovered at different times and assigned unique names by the scientists who found them.
The first fossil was discovered in 1914, while other parts were discovered at different times during the course of the 20th century.
The different Chirostenotes fossils were reassembled as a single dinosaur in 1988.
Chirostenotes was characterized by long arms with slender claws, long powerful legs, and a prominent cranial crest similar to that of other oviraptorid dinosaurs
14. Dilophosaurus
| Name | Dilophosaurus |
| Name Meaning | “Double-Crested Lizard” |
| Pronunciation | Die-loh-foh-SAWR-us |
| Era | Mesozoic – Early Jurassic |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia & Theropoda |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Height | 2 meters (6.5 feet) |
| Length | 6–7 meters (20–23 feet) |
| Weight | 400 kilograms (880 pounds) |
| Location | North America (USA) |
Famous as the frilled dinosaur that could spit venom in Jurassic Park, the Dilophosaurus had many interesting non-fictional attributes.
One of the things the movie producers got right about this dinosaur was its prominent head crest.
Unlike other dinosaurs that tend to have a single crest, Dilophosaurus had two!
In fact, the prominent crest on this dinosaur’s head is the inspiration behind its name.
Dilophosaurus translates as “double-crested lizard, ” referencing the dinosaur’s unique headgear.
This Early Jurassic carnivorous dinosaur had two thin, bony crests that extended from behind its eye socket to its snout.
The crests were likely covered in keratin and brightly colored to impress mates.
13. Lambeosaurus
| Name | Lambeosaurus |
| Name Meaning | “Lambe’s Lizard” |
| Pronunciation | Lam-bee-oh-SAW-rus |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Ornithischia, & Ornithopoda |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 4.5 meters (15 feet) |
| Length | 7–7.6 meters (23–25 feet) |
| Weight | 2–4 tons (4,000–8,000 pounds) |
| Location | Canada, USA (North America) |
Lambeosaurus was a type of duck-billed (hadrosaurid) dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous.
It is one of the largest hadrosaurid dinosaurs, but what makes this dinosaur stand out even more is its oddly shaped cranial crest.
Picture a hatchet with its blade sticking out of the dinosaur’s head and the handle “jutting” out over the back of its neck.
That’s exactly what the Lambeosaurus’ crest looked like.
The bony crest was just as big as the rest of the dinosaur’s skull.
The size and shape of the crest also varied for the two species of this dinosaur, and it may have varied based on sex as well.
The crest was hollow and was connected to the dinosaur’s respiratory cavity.
This suggests that it may have produced sound or enhanced the dinosaur’s sense of smell.
Other functions, such as courtship display and defence against predators, have also been proposed for the crest.
12. Corythoraptor
| Name | Corythoraptor |
| Name Meaning | “Crested thief” |
| Pronunciation | Co-re-fo-rap-tor |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia & Theropoda |
| Diet | Omnivorous |
| Height | 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) |
| Length | 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) |
| Weight | 75 kg (165 pounds) |
| Location | China (Asia) |
Corythoraptor was an oviraptorid dinosaur whose name means “crested thief.”
It’s a fitting name referring to the dinosaur’s tall crest jutting up from its skull.
The crest had a thickness of up to two millimeters (0.079 inches) and was likely covered by a Keratinous shell
The high-rise dome jutting up from the dinosaur’s skull may have been useful for courtship display.
Experts also think it has resonant qualities and could detect low-frequency sounds.
The crest was lightweight, with several chambers filled with air sacs and separated by thin bony walls.
The pneumatized structure of this crest means the birds didn’t engage in headbutting and other forms of aggressive intra-specific combat for mating rights.
11. Parasaurolophus
| Name | Parasaurolophus |
| Name Meaning | “Near crested lizard” |
| Pronunciation | Pah-ruh-SAWR-uh-LOH-fus |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Ornithischia, & Ornithopoda |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Height | 4.9 meters (16 feet) |
| Length | 11.45 meters (37.6 feet) |
| Weight | 2.7 tons (5,952 pounds) |
| Location | United States of America, Canada (North America) |
Parasaurolophus had one of the most bizarre-looking head adornments of all the crested dinosaurs.
It had an elaborate cranial crest characterized by a long tube that projected from its snout and curved backward beyond its skull.
The crest was fused to its premaxilla and nasal bones.
In adult males, the crest may have been up to 1.8 meters (6 feet) long!
Scientists have suggested different functions for the unique crest of the Parasaurolophus, from being used as a breathing tube to thermoregulatory functions.
Many of these proposed functions have been rejected based on more recent findings.
Scientists think they probably used their crest to make trumpeting sounds and for courtship display.
10. Olorotitan
| Name | Olorotitan |
| Name Meaning | “Giant Swan” |
| Pronunciation | Oh-low-ro-ti-tan |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Ornithischia, & Ornithopoda |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Height | 3.5 meters (11 feet) |
| Length | 12 meters (39 feet) |
| Weight | 2.7 tons (5,952 pounds) |
| Location | Russian (Europe) |
The Olorotitan can be considered Europe’s version of the Lambeosaurus.
This 26-foot-long hadrosaur was about the same size as its North American cousin but lived halfway across the world in Eastern Russia.
One similarity between both dinosaurs was the fan-shaped crest that jutted out of its skull.
The crest curved high over the dinosaur’s skull and was supported by backward-pointing bone with a distinct fan shape.
Like other hadrosaurid dinosaurs, the crest of the Olorotitan was hollow and covered with keratin material.
The robust skull of this dinosaur was supported by an elongated, swan-like neck.
The name Olorotitan, which means “titanic swan,” is a reference to this unusually long neck.
9. Tsintaosaurus
| Name | Tsintaosaurus |
| Name Meaning | “Qingdao lizard” |
| Pronunciation | Sin-dow-sore-us |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Ornithischia, & Ornithopoda |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Height | 3.6 meters (11.8 feet) |
| Length | 10 meters (32 feet) |
| Weight | 4.4 tons (8,800 pounds) |
| Location | United States of America, Canada (North America) |
When the Tsintaosaurus was discovered in the 1950s, scientists reconstructed this dinosaur with a unicorn-like horn, thanks to an unusual bone sticking out of its skull at an odd angle.
This was unlike the lobe-like crest of other hadrosaurid dinosaurs.
However, based on new studies and the discovery of additional specimens, experts now know that the Tsintaosaurus’ crest was not a simple spike like it was initially proposed.
The crest extended from the dinosaur’s nasal bones, curving backward above the back of its skull.
The crest was probably colored and may have been used for identification or courtship purposes.
This 10-meter-long (33-foot) hadrosaurid dinosaur lived in China during the Cretaceous Period.
8. Corythosaurus
| Name | Corythosaurus |
| Name Meaning | “Helmeted lizard” |
| Pronunciation | Cor-ith-o-sore-us |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Ornithischia, & Ornithopoda |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Height | 2.7 meters (8.8 feet) |
| Length | 9 meters (29 feet) |
| Weight | 3.8 tons (8,300 pounds) |
| Location | United States of America, Canada (North America) |
Corythosaurus is one of the best-known hadrosaurid dinosaurs, thanks to an abundance of well-preserved fossils.
The name Corythosaurus means “helmeted lizard.”
As you can guess from the name, one of the most notable attributes of this dinosaur was its prominent head crest, which resembles the helmet worn by ancient Corinthian soldiers.
The crest also looks a lot like the head adornment of the Cassowary, a flightless bird native to New Guinea and Australia.
Corythosaurus lived on the plains of North 75 million years ago.
The crest was hollow, which suggests that it was probably used as a resonance chamber for amplifying sounds.
Males also had a larger crest than females, meaning it may have been used for courtship displays as well.
7. Monolophosaurus
| Name | Monolophosaurus |
| Name Meaning | “Single-crested lizard” |
| Pronunciation | Mon-o-low-fo-doer-us |
| Era | Mesozoic – Jurassic Period |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia & Theropoda |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Height | 1.8 meters (6.5 feet) |
| Length | 5–5.5 meters (16–18 feet) |
| Weight | 475 kilograms (1,047 pounds) |
| Location | China (Asia) |
Monolophosaurus was a medium-sized theropod dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Jurassic Period.
It was discovered in 1981 during an oil exploration project in the Xinjiang province of China.
The dinosaur is known for the single crest that runs down the center of its skull from behind the eyes to the end of its snout.
The name Monolophosaurus means “single-crested lizard” in reference to this distinct crest.
The rounded crest was most likely brightly colored and may have been useful for courtship display.
The crest was hollow and had air sacs, which helped to save weight.
6. Ceratosaurus
| Name | Ceratosaurus |
| Name Meaning | “Horned lizard” |
| Pronunciation | See-rat-oh-sire-us |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Jurassic |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia & Theropoda |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Height | 2 meters (6.5 feet) |
| Length | 6–8 meters (20–26 feet) |
| Weight | 5.5 tons (12,125 pounds) |
| Location | North America (United States and Mexico) |
The Ceratosaurus was named “horned lizard” due to the prominent horns located on the midline of its skull just behind the nostrils.
The horn was formed by an extension of the dinosaur’s nasal bones.
The horn core of the Ceratosaurus was about 13 centimeters (5.1 inches) long and up to two centimeters (0.79 inches) wide at the base.
It narrowed towards the top, with a maximum width of about 1.2 centimeters (0.47 inches).
Although only the bony core of this horn is preserved in fossils, the horn likely supported a large keratinous sheath.
This means it looked more like a small crest than a typical horn.
In the past, experts assumed that the crest was used as a weapon for offensive and defensive purposes, but this has been found to be unlikely.
However, male individuals may have used their horns for intraspecific combat when contending for breeding rights.
5. Liliensternus
| Name | Liliensternus |
| Name Meaning | “Rühle von Lilienstern’s one” |
| Pronunciation | Lil-e-en-ster-nus |
| Era | Mesozoic – Triassic |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia & Theropoda |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Height | 2 meters (6.56 feet) |
| Length | 5.15 meters (16.9 feet) |
| Weight | 127–200 kilograms (280–440 pounds) |
| Location | Germany (Europe) |
Liliensternus is one of the oldest theropod dinosaurs, with fossils dating back to about 210 million years ago—the Triassic Period.
Although the dinosaur’s skull is not well-preserved in the fossil record, it is often reconstructed with a prominent crest similar to that of the Dilophosaurus.
Liliensternus was an active bipedal carnivore that lived on the ancient floodplains of present-day Germany.
It is considered the largest theropod dinosaur known to have lived in Triassic Europe.
4. Shantungosaurus
| Name | Shantungosaurus |
| Name Meaning | “Shadong lizard” |
| Pronunciation | shan-TUN-go-sore-us |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Ornithischia, & Ornithopoda |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 7 meters (23 feet) |
| Length | 15 meters (49 feet) |
| Weight | 12–20 tons (26,000–44,000 pounds) |
| Location | North America (United States and Mexico) |
Shantungosaurus was a large hadrosaurid dinosaur native to the Shandong peninsula in China.
The dinosaur’s name, which means “Shadong lizard,” is a reference to this location.
With a body length of up to 15 meters, Shantungosaurus is the largest hadrosaur ever discovered.
Although Shantungosaurus didn’t have a large bony crest like other hadrosaurid dinosaurs, the end of its snout was covered by a loose flap of skin connected to a hole near its nostrils.
The dinosaur could inflate this flap to produce sounds, which may have helped with communication and mating display.
3. Hypacrosaurus
| Name | Hypacrosaurus |
| Name Meaning | “Near the highest lizard” |
| Pronunciation | hi-pak-roh-saw-rus |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Ornithischia, & Ornithopoda |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 3 meters (9.8 feet) |
| Length | 9.1 meters (29 feet) |
| Weight | 4 tons (8,800 pounds) |
| Location | North America |
A close relative of the Lambeosaurus, the Hypacrosaurus lived in North America around the same time as the famous Tyrannosaurus, and both dinosaurs may have shared the same ecosystem.
It was the second biggest dinosaur in the North American ecosystem at the time (next to the Tyrannosaurus), which was why scientists gave it the name Hypacrosaurus, meaning “near the highest lizard.”
Like other lambeosaurine dinosaurs, Hypacrosaurus had a distinct crest on its head.
The hollow crest was similar to that of the closely related Corythosaurus but had a wider profile and wasn’t as high.
In addition to the cranial crest, Hypacrosaurus also had tall neural spines, which is absent in its closest relatives.
2. Citipati
| Name | Citipati |
| Name Meaning | “funeral pyre lord” |
| Pronunciation | Si-ti-PAT-ee |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia & Theropoda |
| Diet | Omnivorous |
| Height | Approximately 1.2 meters (4 feet) at the hip |
| Length | 2-3 meters (6.5-10 feet) |
| Weight | 83 kilograms (183 pounds) on average |
| Location | Mongolia (Asia) |
Citipati is one of the most well-known members of a family of small, feathered dinosaurs known as the oviraptorids.
Members of this family of theropod dinosaurs are known for their large parrot-like beaks and elaborate crests.
Citipati was one of the largest members of this group, with a body length of about 2.5 to 2.9 meters (8.2 to 9.5 feet).
The premaxilla and nasal bones of this dinosaur fused to form a prominent cranial crest.
The crest grades into the beak and is superficially similar to that of the modern cassowary.
Citipati had a few other bird-like features, including feathers on its tail, arms, and other parts of its body.]
1. Cryolophosaurus
| Name | Cryolophosaurus |
| Name Meaning | “Cold crest lizard” |
| Pronunciation | Cry-oh-low-foe-sore-us |
| Era | Mesozoic – Early Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia & Theropoda |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Height | 2.3 meters (7.5 feet) |
| Length | 6–7 meters (20–23 feet) |
| Weight | 350–465 kilograms (772–1,025 pounds) |
| Location | Antarctica |
Cryolophosaurus is also commonly referred to as Elvisaurus.
This nickname is due to its unique cranial crest characterized by a “pompadour” appearance similar to the hairstyle of famous musician Elvis Presley.
Unlike other dinosaurs whose crests tend to grow longitudinally on their snout, the nasal crest of the Cryolophosaurus runs across its face, running perpendicular to the skull.
The crest is thin and furrowed.
Cryolophosaurus was a theropod dinosaur of the Early Cretaceous Period and was one of the largest flesh-eating dinosaurs known from that period.
Fossils of this dinosaur were discovered in 1991 in Antarctica, making it the first non-avian dinosaur known from the continent.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shantungosaurus
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/outlining-olorotitan-34877588/
- https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/laelaps/paleo-profile-the-crested-thief/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambeosaurus
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypacrosaurus
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monolophosaurus
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