Micropachycephalosaurus
Micropachycephalosaurus was a tiny plant-eating dinosaur that lived in China during the Late Cretaceous. It had one of the longest names of any dinosaur, even though it was one of the smallest!2
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Fun facts
Its full scientific name has 37 letters, making it the longest dinosaur name of all.2
It was only about 1 metre long, smaller than many modern dogs.2
It walked on two legs, like many other small herbivorous dinosaurs.2
The first fossil was found on a cliff near a train station called Hongtuyan.2
It lived alongside other dinosaurs like the armoured Pinacosaurus and the duck-billed Tanius.2
Scientists are not sure if it was a pachycephalosaur or a ceratopsian, because its skull roof was missing from the fossil.2
Most asked questions about Micropachycephalosaurus
?How big was Micropachycephalosaurus?
It was tiny, only about 1 metre (3.3 ft) long when fully grown.21
?When did Micropachycephalosaurus live?
It lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 84 to 71 million years ago.12
?Where was Micropachycephalosaurus found?
Its fossils were found in China, near Laiyang in Shandong Province, close to Hongtuyan train station.21
?Is Micropachycephalosaurus a dinosaur?
Yes, it is a dinosaur. It belongs to the group Pachycephalosauria, which are ornithischian dinosaurs.21
?Why does Micropachycephalosaurus have such a long name?
Its name means 'tiny thick-headed lizard', and it has 23 letters in the genus name alone, making it the longest dinosaur name.21
?Did Micropachycephalosaurus have a thick skull?
Scientists are not sure, because the skull roof was missing from the fossil. It was originally thought to be a pachycephalosaur with a thick skull, but later studies disagree.2
?What dinosaurs lived with Micropachycephalosaurus?
It lived alongside the armoured Pinacosaurus, the duck-billed Tanius, and other dinosaurs like sauropods and coelurosaurs.2
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Myth buster
Myth: Some people think it had a thick, dome-shaped skull like other pachycephalosaurs.
Truth: The fossil that would show this is missing, so scientists cannot confirm it had a dome.2
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Micropachycephalosaurus
- Named by
- Dong 19783
- Group
- Horned dinos
- Family / clade
- Ceratopsia3
- Classification
- Ornithischia > Ceratopsia3
- Age of the rocks
- 90 to 84 million years (Coniacian / Santonian)3
- Rock formations
- Jiangjunding3
- Countries
- China3
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- It was named by Chinese paleontologist Dong Zhiming in 1978, based on a partial skeleton found near Laiyang, China.2
- Still debated
- Scientists still debate whether it was a pachycephalosaur or a ceratopsian, because the key skull part is missing.2
Where the facts come from
- Micropachycephalosaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
- Micropachycephalosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Micropachycephalosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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