Pachycephalosaurus

The clade Pachycephalosauria includes some of the most unique "thick-headed lizards". The most famous dinosaur from this branch is, you guessed it, the Pachycephalosaurus. It's actually pretty fantastic that this dinosaur is so popular, considering only one complete skull and several skull fragments have ever been discovered.

Pachycephalosaurus lived in the forests of North America during the Late Cretaceous, approximately 70-65 million years ago. They measured about 15 feet long and could weigh up to about 1,000 pounds. They were herbivores, noshing on soft plants, seeds, and berries. What really sets these dinosaurs apart from all the others is their distinctive skulls. Pachycephalosaurus skulls were dome-shaped, with bony knobs and short, bony spikes edged along the back. Their skulls could measure up to 10 inches thick, which meant that these dudes had teeny, tiny brains.

It's debated whether or not these boneheads actually used their domes in head-to-head combat, as the bone inside the skulls was actually more spongy than dense. Their necks were also carried in an "S" or "U"-shaped curve, thus proving their vertebrae may have been too fragile to sustain direct head-butting. It's more likely that they flank-butted each other, whacking one another on the sides of the body until one conceded victory.

There have only been adult skulls of Pachycephalosaurus found, thus bringing up the debate that a couple other members of the pachycephalosaur family might not be distinct species, but rather juveniles of the dome-headed adults. These guys are Stygimoloch Spinifer, which means "thorny devil from the river of death" (so metal!), and Dracorex Hogwartsia, meaning "dragon king of Hogwarts".

I am not even shitting you.

Dracorex was, indeed, named in honor of Harry Potter. However, the name did not come from some lonely, middle-aged nerd, but by the innocent minds of children...whom will likely become lonely, middle-aged nerds. Dracorex looked fucking bad ass, too. It had a long muzzle and a flat, dome-less skull which was completely covered in bumps and horns. The only specimens found of Dracorex and Stygimoloch were juveniles, which led to the speculation that they're actually juvenile forms of Pachycephalosaurus. Apparently, as the Pachycephalosaurus aged, it's skull transformed dramatically throughout maturity. This theory would back up the idea that the thick domes of these Mesozoic linebackers were used primarily to signify dominance, winning them the right to mate with the horniest of females.

And you thought "bros" were a new species.



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