Pachyrhinosaurus

Pachyrhinosaurus (name meaning "Thick-Nosed Lizard") is a genus of herbivorous centrosaurine ceratopsian dinosaur that originated during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now North America. One of the largest members of the ceratopsian family, Pachyrhinosaurus is also one of the world's most famous dinosaurs.

Thought to have been extinct for 65 million years, there are still herds that remain alive on Primeval Island.

Facts[]

Era & Discovery[]

Pachyrhinosaurus lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous period, from 73 – 65 million years ago. It lived alongside dinosaurs and other creatures. It died out with all other dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous. Pachyrhinosaurus was discovered in 1950 by Charles Mortram Sternberg.

Discovery & Range[]

Pachyrhinosaurus was first discovered by Charles Mortram Sternberg in 1950 in what is now North America.

Physical Description[]

Pachyrhinosaurus was one of the largest ceratopsians. A typical adult grew to measure about 23 – 26 feet (7 – 8 m) long, stood over 7 feet (2.2 m) tall, and weighed about as much as 4 tons (8,000 lbs.). These herbivores possessed strong cheek teeth to help them chew tough, fibrous plants. Pachyrhinosaurus was also relatively fast for a dinosaur of their size, let alone for a ceratopsian, capable of running at speeds as fast as 25 mph.

Pachyrhinosaurus was probably the most unusual and distinctive ceratopsid. Unlike more famous horned dinosaurs, such as Triceratops, instead of brow or nasal horns, Pachyrhinosaurus bore a thick, massive, bumpy pad of bone, or a nasal boss, along the upper surface of its flattened face. The bosses, one over the nose and a smaller one over the eyes, nearly grew together and were separated only by a narrow groove. Their frill bore two additional small, curved, prominent, backward-pointed horns that grew from the frill and extended upwards. The presence of these horns varied by age or sex.

Behavior & Traits[]

Like all members of the ceratopsian family, Pachyrhinosaurus traveled in large herds. During jousting tournaments, in a similar manner to Pachycephalosaurus, the Pachyrhinosaurus males would ram into each other's heads while fighting. Sometimes against a predator, Pachyrhinosaurus would ram into those predators as a fighting mechanism.

The females also cared greatly for their young. For example, like birds, female Pachyrhinosaurus would find food on the forests and bring it back to the nesting sights to feed their young.

Trivia[]

The sound effects of Pachyrhinosaurus are that of buffalo, bull, and cow sound effects.