Stegoceras
Stegoceras validum
Pronounced: steg - o
- Sair- uhs
Diet: Omnivore? (Both
Meat and Plant-Eater)
Name Means: "Roofed
Horn"
Length: 8 feet (2.5
m)
Height: 4 feet (1.3
m)
Weight: 150 pounds
(68 kilos)
Time: Late Cretaceous
- 70 million years ago
Fossil remains for this Dinosaur have been found in Western United States and Canada
Stegoceras was one of the smallest members of the
same family that includes the more well known
Pachycephalosaurus It had a thick dome on
its head, but instead of a ring of bumps or spikes,
it had a small ridge of bone at the base of its
dome. These were small, swift-running hunters who
may have also eaten plants.
Discovered early in the 20th century,
many subsequent dinosaurs were assigned to
this genus and later reassigned. The genus
is known from a complete skull, a number of
partial skulls, and other skeletal material.
To date, there is only one valid species for
this genus. The skeletal remains of this
dinosaur seem to support the theory of head
butting for this family, which adds fuel to
the debate over whether this activity would
have been possible without injury to the
spine. |
