Pachycephalosaurus | |
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Information | |
Range | North America |
Scientific Classification | |
Kingdom | Animalia |
Phylum | Chordata |
Class | Dinosauria |
Order | Ornithischia |
Family | Pachycephalosauridae |
Species | Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis |
Conservation Status | |
Extinct |
Pachycephalosaurus (/ˌpækɪˌsɛfələˈsɔːrəs/) (meaning "thick-headed lizard") is a genus of pachycephalosaurid dinosaur that lived at the Late Cretaceous period around 66 million years ago. Pachycephalosaurus means "thick-headed lizard", because it had a bony dome on its skull. It used its skull for fighting rivals, hurting predators, and mating.
Discovery and naming[]
Pachycephalosaurus was discovered in the Hell Creek Formation in 1931. It was the first pachycephalosaur ever to be discovered and described. It was thought to be an outdated troodon, but now we know that it was a plant eating dinosaur with a beautiful domed head.
Description[]
Classification[]
Pachycephalosaurus is the largest member of the Pachycephalosaurid family and its cousins are Dracorex, Homalocephale, Microcephale, Prenocephale, Stegoceras, Stygimoloch, and Wannanosaurus. All species had dome-shaped heads and walked on two legs.