Cretaceous
Pachyrhinosaurus
Pachyrhinosaurus canadensis
The catalogue presents Pachyrhinosaurus as a herbivore member of Ceratopsidae that lived during the Cretaceous, between 73.5 Ma. Its estimated range is 8.0 m in length and 4 t in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Alberta, Canada. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Pachyrhinosaurus, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Sternberg (1950).
The PBDB places it in Pachyrhinosaurini, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Ceratopsidae.
- PBDB · taxon.parent
- Ceratopsidae
In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range runs from the Campanian to the Maastrichtian.
The PBDB catalogues 6 occurrences, with material from the St. Mary River Formation (4) and from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation (2). Provenance: Canada.
The catalogue records the holotype as AMNH 5240 and the type locality as “Alberta, Canada”.
- AMNH 5240
- Alberta, Canada
The catalogue's reference measurements are 8.0 m in length and 4 t in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 8.0 m
- 4 tons
The record gathers 47 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
- 8.0 m
- Weight
- 4 t
- Period
- Cretaceous
- Time range
- 73.5 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 1950
- Described by
- Charles M. Sternberg
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Ornithischia
- Family
- Ceratopsidae
- Genus
- Pachyrhinosaurus
- Species
- P. canadensis
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
- AMNH 5240
- Type locality
- Alberta, Canada