Parasaurolophus

Tier: 5
Type: Terrestrial herbivore
Passive growth time: 4 hrs 23 min

Band size: 4 sub adults/adults, 1-8 juveniles/adolescents
Hierarchy: Gerontocracy

Mating bond: Polygyny
Nest size: 1-4 offspring per pair

Diet tags: Herbivore, fungivore, & frugivore
Preferred food: Berry bushes, roots, melons & mushrooms. Licks salt rocks for extra salt in diet & crushes clams for variety

Behavior

Parasaurolophus are typically browsing herbivores and will feed on bushes, berries, roots and shrubs. These huge herbivores need to eat massive amounts of food in a day to get all the energy they need to migrate around. Parasaurolophus are good swimmers and will often submerge to ward off flies and insects, while also using it as a cooling mechanism.

Recommended behaviors

╸Parasaurolophus will form female groups
╸Males tend to travel alone or reside by a female group
╸Even though Parasaurolophus are peaceful creatures, they do not tolerate other species hanging out in their personal space.
╸Parasaurolophus often group up and reside with other hadrosaurids like Lambeosaurus, Barsboldia and Iguanodon. Sometimes even big herds can be spotted moving around the island's plains.

Mating

When Parasaurolophus enter mating season, the adult males will stop feeding entirely and enter a fasting period. During the fasting period the males will get territorial and extremely aggressive towards other Parasaurolophus males. Males will make loud echoing calls and rub their scent on trees to attract females that enter their area. The male will mate as many females as it can during the fasting period. Two males will fight over females by kicking each other with their powerful front limbs. The fight will last until the losing male leaves and the winner gets to mate with the females. After mating season is over, male Parasaurolophus will either group up with other males or join a female group for protection and company.

Nesting & offspring

After mating season female Parasaurolophus will make small herds and nest together, looking after each other's babies while also traveling and looking for food sources together. The female will lay her eggs in a nest made of roots, leaves and foliage. She will keep a tight eye on her eggs and go close to starving while protecting her future calves. Hatchlings are very helpless and weak, and stay close to their mothers while the group migrates between the most plentiful feeding areas. Female Parasaurolophus will form strong bonds with their calves and rarely tolerate males nearby. When her offspring begin to reach sub adulthood, she will drive them away and continue together with the rest of the female group.