Goyocephale

Goyocephale was a small, early pachycephalosaur that roamed prehistoric Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous epoch. Instead of the high, rounded bony dome typical of famous relatives such as Pachycephalosaurus, its skull retained a relatively flat roof bordered by rows of small bony knobs and horns. The preserved skull reveals remarkably long, sharp canine-like teeth at the front of its jaws, which may have served for displaying to rivals or foraging on fibrous plants and occasionally small animals. Roughly the size of a modern sheep or large dog, this two-legged herbivore had relatively robust hindlimbs built for speed to evade predators. It was described in 1982 from a well-preserved partial skeleton including the skull and postcranial elements. Its combination of a flat skull and pronounced ornamentation provides critical clues about the early evolutionary transitions of bone-headed dinosaurs.

Unlike fully domed relatives, Goyocephale possessed a flat skull roof bearing prominent canine-like teeth.

Where and when

Goyocephale lived in the Late Cretaceous, from 83.6 to 72.1 million years ago (Campanian age). Its remains come from Mongolia, in the Boro Khovgor Formation.

The numbers

Length 1.9 m (estimates run from 1.8 to 2 m). Mass about 14 kg. Hip height about 0.6 m. That is 1.1 human-lengths, or 0.17 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from partial skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, first ma, last ma, hip height.

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