Pachycephalosaurus Facts for Kids

A Picture of Pachycephalosaurus Wyomingensis
  • Species Type: Pachycephalosaurus Wyomingensis
  • Type of Dinosaur: Pachycephalosauria
  • Period: Late Cretaceous
  • Diet: Foliage (herbivorous)
  • Lifespan: Unknown
  • Length: 15 feet (average)
  • Weight: 990 pounds (average)

15 Pachycephalosaurus Facts for Kids

  1. The Pachycephalosaurus was discovered between 1859 and 1860 by Ferdinand Vandiveer Hayden in Montana, near the head of the Missouri River.
  2. The Pachycephalosaurus was given its scientific name Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis in 1931, by Charles W. Gilmore.
  3. Charles W. Gilmore coined the name Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis from a partial skull (Specimen: USNM 12031).
  4. The name Pachycephalosaurus means: “Thick-Headed Lizard”.
  5. The name Pachycephalosaurus is pronounced: “pak-ee-SEF-uh-lo-SAWR-us”.
  6. The Pachycephalosaurus was part of a group of dinosaurs known as pachycephalosaurids.
  7. They lived in the Late Cretaceous Period (Maastrichtian Stage) between 66 and 72.1 million years ago.
  8. The Pachycephalosaurus lived on the North American continent.
  9. It’s estimated that the average length of a Pachycephalosaurus was 15 feet.
  10. It’s estimated that the average weight of a Pachycephalosaurus was over 900 pounds.
  11. Paleontologists aren’t sure what a Pachycephalosaurus diet would have been. While they think they were herbivores, fossilized jaw remains do indicate teeth similar to carnivorous theropods.
  12. The Pachycephalosaurus had two arms with five-clawed fingers and two legs with three-clawed toes.
  13. The dome shaped head of a Pachycephalosaurus is believed to have been used by males for mating or to chase off rival mates.
  14. Pachycephalosaurus had a skull that about 30 times thicker and stronger than a modern-day human skull.
  15. Paleontologists at first thought the skull of the Pachycephalosaurus was a dinosaurs kneecap.

Additional Resources on Pachycephalosaurus

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