About
Corythosaurus was a large dinosaur that roamed the coastal plains and river deltas of Late Cretaceous North America around 77 to 75.7 million years ago. As a member of the subfamily, it possessed the group's characteristic hollow —in this case, a tall, semicircular structure resembling a Corinthian helmet that gives the animal its name. This elaborate headgear wasn't just for show; CT scans reveal complex nasal passages inside that likely functioned as resonating chambers, allowing these dinosaurs to produce distinctive low-frequency calls.
Like other hadrosaurs, Corythosaurus was a sophisticated herbivore equipped with hundreds of tightly packed teeth forming dental batteries capable of grinding tough plant material. It likely fed on conifers, ferns, and flowering plants, walking primarily on all fours while foraging but capable of rising onto its hind legs to reach higher vegetation or flee from predators like Gorgosaurus, which shared its habitat.
The genus was named and described in 1914 by the legendary fossil hunter Barnum Brown based on exceptional specimens from the Dinosaur Park Formation in Alberta, Canada. Brown's discoveries were remarkably complete—some specimens even preserved skin impressions showing a pebbly texture across the body. This exceptional preservation has made Corythosaurus one of the best-understood hadrosaurs.
Intriguingly, the dramatic variation in crest size and shape among Corythosaurus specimens initially led paleontologists to name several separate species. Modern research suggests these differences largely reflect age and sex rather than species boundaries—juveniles had smaller crests, and males likely sported larger, more elaborate headgear than females.
Explore the anatomy
5 featuresThat tall, helmet-shaped crest wasn't solid — it was hollow, with nasal passages looping through it like tubes in a trombone. Scientists used CT scans to peek inside and discovered these passages worked as built-in speakers, probably letting Corythosaurus blast out deep, booming calls across the ancient forests.
Behind a toothless beak sat hundreds of teeth stacked in columns like a never-ending escalator — when old teeth wore down, fresh ones pushed up from below to replace them. This grinding machine let Corythosaurus chomp through tough plants like conifer needles and horsetails that would wreck most other dinosaurs' mouths.
Amazingly, some fossils found in 1914 still have actual mummified skin attached, showing a bumpy texture made of small, rounded lumps packed together like cobblestones. No scales, no feathers — just this pebbly pattern, making Corythosaurus one of the rare dinosaurs where we know exactly what its skin looked like.
The back legs were way beefier than the front ones because Corythosaurus could walk two different ways — on all fours while munching plants, or rearing up on two legs to run fast or reach high branches. Each foot had three broad, hoof-like toes built to support a body weighing nearly four tonnes.
Baby Corythosaurus had only a tiny ridge on their heads, while adults rocked the full dramatic helmet — a difference so huge that early scientists thought they were discovering completely different species! The fancy adult crest probably showed off maturity and helped attract mates, like a flashy biological billboard.
Where fossils were found
Dinosaur Park Formation
+1 more formation
Alberta, Montana · Canada, United States
83.6–72.2 million years ago(11.4m year span)
Where Corythosaurus Roamed
Corythosaurus casuarius roamed the lush coastal lowlands of Laramidia, a narrow island continent flanked by the Western Interior Seaway to the east, where warm, humid subtropical conditions supported dense forests of conifers, ferns, and flowering plants along meandering river systems and swampy floodplains.
Keep exploring the vault
Gorgosaurus
Gorgosaurus libratus
Gorgosaurus and Corythosaurus co-occur in the Dinosaur Park Formation.
Lambeosaurus
Lambeosaurus lambei
Both lambeosaurine hadrosaurs of nearly identical size (8.5m vs 9.0m) from the Dinosaur Park Formation, feeding on similar vegetation.
Edmontosaurus
Edmontosaurus regalis
Both successful hadrosaurs representing different subfamilies (Lambeosaurinae vs Hadrosaurinae) exploring distinct evolutionary solutions—Corythosaurus developed hollow crests for resonance while Edmontosaurus relied on soft tissue nasal structures.
Maiasaura
Maiasaura peeblesorum
Same family: Hadrosauridae
Brachylophosaurus
Brachylophosaurus canadensis
Same family: Hadrosauridae
Parasaurolophus
Fellow lambeosaurine hadrosaur from the Dinosaur Park Formation with similar body size and herbivorous diet.