Facts About Pachycephalosaurus That Will Blow Your Mind
Whenever we come to think of dinosaurs, the only image that strikes us is that of a huge prehistoric ferocious hunter. While most of our understanding of dinosaurs comes from movies like Jurassic Park, paleontologists have confirmed factual inconsistencies in the portrayal of the prehistoric species.
The film acquainted us with the world of dinosaurs, from the infamous T-Rex to Dilophosaurus. But have you ever heard of Pachycephalosaurus? Pachycephalosaurus is a plant-eating dinosaur that lived almost 75 million years ago. This dinosaur was believed to be 15 feet long, weigh over 900 pounds, and walked on its hind legs. The most distinctive feature of this dinosaur was its high dome-like skull. This skull was formed by a thick mass of solid bone with tiny spikes and was around 20 times thicker than the skull of other dinosaurs.
Here are a few facts about Pachycephalosaurus that will absolutely blow your mind.
1) The name Pachycephalosaurus is derived from Greek and stands for “thick-headed lizard”. The skull of the dinosaur was around 10 inches thick, and scientists speculate that they used their skulls for head-butting to fight their male enemies and mark their territory. The head of Pachycephalosaurus was once mistaken for their knee caps; however, it was later discovered that these mammals lacked knee caps altogether.
2)The Pachycephalosaurus lived on the North American continent in the Late Cretaceous epoch about 75 million years ago. The land of Pachycephalosaurus can be identified as present-day Montana and South Dakota.
3) These dinosaurs were essentially herbivores, like their fellow dinosaurs. However, this is only speculation, and scientists do not know what they actually ate. Looking at the teeth structure of these dinosaurs, scientists concluded that they could not have chewed fibrous plants as effectively as other dinosaurs. The fossils of their jaws with blade-like, ridged teeth hinted towards a carnivorous diet.
4) The short dome-like skull with rounded eye sockets gave Pachycephalosaurus its good eyesight and binocular vision. This vision made it possible for the dinosaur to perceive a single three-dimensional image of its surroundings and a wider field of view.
5) The first Pachycephalosaurus was discovered in 1859 by Ferdinand Vandiveer Hayden in Montana, near the head of the Missouri River.
6) Its scientific name— Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis, was rendered in 1931 by Charles W. Gilmore.
7) Dracorex Hogwartsia or “dragon king of Hogwarts”—a young Pachycephalosaurus is named after the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.
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Author’s Bio- The author deals in all kinds of rare fossils, and this article is about rare facts about Pachycephalosaurus.
