PACHYCEPHALOSAURUS

genus of large and unusual dinosaurs found as fossils in deposits of North America dating to the Late Cretaceous Epoch (97.5 to 66.4 million years ago). Pachycephalosaurus,which grew to be about 5 m (16 feet) long, was a biped with strong hind limbs and much less developed forelimbs. The unusual and distinctive feature of Pachycephalosaurusis the high, domelike skull formed by a thick mass of solid bone grown over the tiny brain. This bone growth covered the temporal openings that were characteristic of the skulls of related forms. Abundant bony knobs in front and at the sides of the skull further added to the unusual appearance. Pachycephalosaurusand closely related forms are known as the bone-headed, or dome-headed, dinosaurs. These dinosaurs, which are also found in Mongolia, had a variety of skull shapes. In the most basal forms, the dome was not thick but flat. Late forms had thick domes shaped like kneecaps, or a large sagittal crest with spikes and knobs pointing down and back from the sides of the skull. It has been suggested that these animals were head butters like living rams, but the configuration of the domes does not support this hypothesis. Flank-butting remains a possibility in some species, but a more likely function in most was species recognition or display.