Cretaceous
Pachycephalosaurus
Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis
The catalogue presents Pachycephalosaurus as a herbivore member of Pachycephalosauridae that lived during the Cretaceous, between 70.6–66.0 Ma. Its estimated range is 4.5–5.0 m in length and 200–450 kg in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Pachycephalosaurus, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Brown and Schlaikjer (1943).
The PBDB places it in Eupachycephalosauria, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Pachycephalosauridae.
- PBDB · taxon.parent
- Pachycephalosauridae
In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range runs from the Campanian to the Maastrichtian.
The PBDB catalogues 26 occurrences, with material from the Hell Creek Formation (14), from the Lance Formation (6) and from the Ferris Formation (3). Provenance: United States and Canada.
The catalogue records the holotype as USNM 12031 and the type locality as “Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA”.
- USNM 12031
- Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA
The catalogue's reference measurements are 4.5–5.0 m in length and 200–450 kg in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 4.5-5.0 m
- 200-450 kg
The record gathers 54 bibliographic references registered in the PBDB, listed below.
Where it lived
Fossil occurrences on today’s map and in the tectonic reconstruction.
Positions reconstructed by PBDB/GPlates, not observed; this is not an exact habitat map.
Artistic 3D reconstruction
There is no approved species-specific 3D model yet. Generic anatomy will not be presented as if it were evidence.
Physical Specifications
- Length
- 4.5–5.0 m
- Weight
- 200–450 kg
- Period
- Cretaceous
- Time range
- 70.6–66.0 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 1931
- Described by
- Charles W. Gilmore
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Ornithischia
- Family
- Pachycephalosauridae
- Genus
- Pachycephalosaurus
- Species
- P. wyomingensis
Data status
Taxonomic name matched to PBDB and checked on 2026-08-08.
Taxonomic linkage does not automatically validate size, mass, behaviour or appearance.
- Type specimen
- USNM 12031
- Type locality
- Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA