Tylocephale is a genus of Pachycephalosauria dinosaurs and is classified under the euronithopod type that lived during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period. To date, there’s only one specimen that has been found and recorded by Paleontologists.
Key Facts
| Domain | Description |
|---|---|
| Tylocephale pronunciation | Tie-lo-sef-a-lay |
| What does Tylocephale mean? | Tylocephale means “swollen head” came from the Greek word tule which means “callus’ and kephale meaning “head”. |
| Dinosaur type | Pachycephalosauria |
| On the menu | Herbivore |
| Length | 1.4 meters (4.6 ft) |
| Height | 1.1 meters (3.6 ft) |
| Weight | 50-75 lbs (22.7-34 kg) |
| Life expectancy | Because of the limited sources, the average lifespan of Tylocephale remains unknown; however, they lived from 83.6 to 72.1 million years ago. |
| Legs used to get around | Bipedal with long legs and rigid tail. |
| Estimated top speed | The estimated moving speed of this dinosaur is unknown. |
| When they lived | Tylocephale lived during the Campanian Era of the Late Cretaceous period, about 83.6 million to 72.1 million years ago. |
| Where they have been found? | Tylocephale used to live in the areas in Asia, especially in Mongolia but it’s believed that some of them have migrated to North America. They preferred living in the woodlands. |
When & Where
The first-ever Tylocephale fossils were recovered in the Khulan region of the Barun Goyot Formation in Mongolia. The fossils found consisted of a fragmentary skull that included the mandible (jawbone) and some teeth. It was in 1974 when Teresa Maryanska and Halszka Osmolka described and named the type which is Tylocephale gilmorei.
Size & Weight
The average size of Tylocephale was estimated to be around 1.4 m to 2.0 m (4.6ft-6.6ft) in length and weighs about 50-75 lbs (22.7-34 kg).
Mobility & Diet
Since there are only limited fossils recovered, scientists are still debating about their mobility such as their defense and how aggressive they were. But Tylocephale are known to be herbivores. Meaning their main diet is based on plant materials.
Interesting Points
- It is known to have the tallest head dome of any Pachycephalosauria dinosaurs.
- Tylocephale has larger teeth compared to other types of Pachycephalosauridae.
- Females reproduce by laying eggs after the males deposit sperm in their bodies.
- Tylocephale is very known to be closely related to Prenocephale dinosaurs.
- One interesting fact about its fossil is that, up to date, there’s only one specie recorded by paleontologists.
- The bone in the back of the skull (squamosal) is sharp and not swollen while the dorsal part of it forms the thick margin of the skull.
- On the roof of the skull, it’s believed that it has eight nodes