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Dracorex facts for kids

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Dracorex
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 66Ma
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The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Dracorex skeletal reconstruction.jpg
Reconstructed skeleton, Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Order: †Ornithischia
Family: †Pachycephalosauridae
Tribe: †Pachycephalosaurini
Genus: †Dracorex
Species:
†D. hogwartsia
Binomial name
†Dracorex hogwartsia
Bakker et al., 2006
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Dracorex is a type of dinosaur called a pachycephalosaur. This means it had a very thick, bony skull. It lived about 65.5 to 65 million years ago. This was during the Late Cretaceous period. Dracorex lived in what is now the United States. Its fossils were found in a famous area called the Hell Creek Formation.

Discovering Dracorex

Scientists have only found a few parts of Dracorex. They found its skull and four neck bones. These bones are called cervical vertebrae. The skull was very unique. It had many spikes and bumps. It also had a flat, thick top. This is different from other pachycephalosaurs. Most others had a dome-shaped head.

What Does the Name Dracorex Mean?

The name Dracorex hogwartsia is very special. It means 'dragon king of Hogwarts'. The name was chosen because the dinosaur's skull looked like a dragon. It also honored the magical school from the Harry Potter books.

Where Did Dracorex Live?

Dracorex lived in the Hell Creek Formation. This area is now parts of Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas in the United States. Many other dinosaurs lived there too. These included Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops. The Hell Creek Formation is famous for its many dinosaur fossils.

Is Dracorex a Young Pachycephalosaurus?

Some scientists think that Dracorex might not be its own type of dinosaur. They believe it could be a young Pachycephalosaurus. They also think Stygimoloch might be a young Pachycephalosaurus. As these dinosaurs grew, their skulls changed a lot. Spikes might have shrunk and domes might have grown. More research is being done to understand this idea.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Dracorex hogwartsia para niños

Images for kids

  • Pachycephalosaur Skull (AMNH 1696)

    Skull AMNH 1696

  • Pachycephalosaurus skull

    The holotype adult skull of P. "reinheimeri" (DMNS 469)

  • Pachycephalosaurus Reconstruction

    Restoration

  • Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis size chart

    Size compared to a human

  • Pachycephalosaurus ontogeny

    Growth series showing reduction of spikes and growth of dome with age, according to Horner and Goodwin

  • Pachycephalosaurus head butting

    Restoration of head-butting subadults

  • Pachycephalosaurus cranial lesion

    Depressions on the skull of specimen BMRP 2001.4.1

  • Pachycephalosaurus

    Restoration of a specimen with a cranial lesion

  • Hell Creek dinosaurs and pterosaurs by durbed

    Pachycephalosaurus and other animals of the Hell Creek Formation

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