Parasaurolophus Coloring Page

This parasaurolophus coloring page shows a duck billed dinosaur standing up on its strong back legs to reach a flowering branch. The long curved crest sweeps back from its head like a trumpet, and little sound lines show it calling out. It works well for kids from about 5 to 11.

A big tree trunk runs up the right side of the picture, with one thick branch reaching across the top. White blossoms and pointed leaves hang down from it. Far behind the dinosaur you can see mountains and a tree fern, and a patch of ferns sits at the front.

Start with the crest

The crest is what makes this animal easy to name, so color it with care. It has four bands across it. Pick one bright color for the crest and a second for the bands.

1. Color the crest orange or red, pressing firmly for a strong color.
2. Fill the four bands with yellow.
3. Do the bill in the same yellow, so the head feels tied together.
4. Leave the eye white with its dark pupil, and it will look bright and alert.

Parasaurolophus coloring page color ideas

No fossil has told us the true colors of this dinosaur. Scientists can make guesses from the way living animals look, but that is all they are. So go with what you like.

A forest look suits this scene: medium green on the body with dark green stripes down the back. A blue green body with purple stripes is fun too. Whatever you pick, keep the belly plates pale, because a light underside makes the body look round.

The stripes are long pointed shapes. You could also make them a pattern, one dark and one light. That small change gives the whole back some rhythm.

For the tree, use two browns on the trunk and press harder on one side. It will start to look round. Leave the blossoms white or give them a pale pink edge, and let a few leaves turn yellow.

How to keep it neat

This page has a lot of open space around the dinosaur, which is good news for little hands. Color the sky last with the side of a crayon, moving gently around the crest. Going near the sound lines can get messy, so pause there and use a sharp pencil.

Most kids need around thirty minutes. A younger child can skip the small round scales near the tail and neck and just use one shade over them.

What the crest was for

Parasaurolophus lived in what is now western North America about 76 to 73 million years ago. The biggest ones were around 30 feet long and weighed more than 5 metric tons. They ate leaves, twigs and pine needles.

Now look at the head again. That crest was hollow, with tubes running from each nostril up to the tip and back. Many scientists think it worked like a horn, making deep, low sounds that could help the animals stay in touch. The idea is still a theory, and the Wikipedia article on Parasaurolophus explains the evidence.

This dinosaur could also walk on two legs or four. It likely fed on all fours and ran on two, so our rearing pose is a bit of fun based on a real ability.

Make your own crest sound

Here is a quick home test. Hum into your cupped hands, then hum through a long cardboard tube. The tube makes your voice sound deeper and fuller. Kids will laugh, and they will also grasp why a hollow crest might matter.

A classroom version is easy. Give each group a paper towel tube and a wrapping paper tube, then ask which one sounds lower. Have them mark the answer next to their colored page.

Would you like a dinosaur with the opposite kind of head? The triceratops coloring page has horns and a frill. For younger brothers and sisters, the baby dinosaur coloring page has bigger, simpler shapes.

Questions