Secret of the crest of the duck beak dinosaur

Photo: LiveScience

The platypus dinosaurs lived 90 million years ago with a large crest with complicated nose vents. Researchers believe these parts are used to send sexual messages and communicate.

" The birth crest plays a role in the visual and sound performance to attract a partner or threaten the enemy," said David Evans, a researcher at the University of Toronto. "Now we can ignore the idea that the complex structure to increase the sense of smell ."

The platypus dinosaurs have crested plants, also known as lambeosaur, 914 cm long with a 60 cm and 4 foot skull, in which the hind legs are longer and stronger than the front legs. Their crests, distinctive features to distinguish, are shaped like Elvis Presley's upside-down hair or a small ax on his head.

Zoologists studying platypus dinosaur fossils in Western Canada found this animal to grow fairly slowly, which proves its social and sexual function. " It may be a sexy show because it develops late in life and coincides with traits related to attracting partners, " said researcher David Evans.

Evans said that when the animal breathed, the air passed through the slightly complicated vents in the shape of the crest on the top of the skull and into the lungs. He made a three-dimensional model of the animal's brain and tested the hypothesis that the crest was born to produce a sound like a whistle to help an animal call a mate or warn an enemy.