Pachycephalosaurus

The Secret and Purpose of Its Sturdy Head

The “thick head” was initially thought to be a weapon for head-butting in fights between males.
However, this theory is now questioned because there is no mechanism to absorb the impact of a head-butt, and no injuries from fighting have been found on the skulls.

The current leading theory suggests that the head was used as a display to establish dominance among its own kind or to attract mates.
However, this doesn’t mean it was completely useless as a weapon.
It is believed to have used its head to ram the legs or neck of a predatory dinosaur like Tyrannosaurus to defend itself.

The area around the top of its head and its nose was covered in bony horns and knobs, giving it a fully armored appearance.

The area around the top of its head and its nose was covered in bony horns and knobs.

Agile Movements and an Unexplained Full Appearance

The long tail of Pachycephalosaurus was reinforced with ossified tendons, allowing it to be held straight out in the air.
It is believed that this tail helped it balance, enabling it to make agile movements while walking on two legs.

It used its tail for balance, which allowed for agile bipedal movements.

However, a complete skeleton of Pachycephalosaurus has not yet been discovered, so its current appearance is a reconstruction based on data from closely related species where more research has been done.
This means there is still a possibility that a shock-absorbing structure might be found, which would prove that the head-butting dinosaurs from old illustrations were a reality.