Fun Dracorex Facts For Kids
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The Dracorex is a pachycephalosaurid that lived during the Late Cretaceous period about 65-70 million years ago in North America. In 2004, this medium-sized herbivore was discovered by three paleontologists in South Dakota,USA, in Hell Creek Formation.
Since these paleontologists had no experience, they donated the fossil remains to the Children's Museum at Indianapolis for study purposes. This dinosaur was given its name by Robert Bakker in 2006.
The collected fossil representation of this dinosaur consists of a skull and four neck vertebrae. The discovery of these dinosaurs created a milestone in the history and world of science and paleontology as their data and information provided more insight into other evolving dinosaurs.
Dracorex came from the group of ornithischian dinosaurs called Pachycephalosaurs or dinosaurs with bone heads. These dinosaurs are largely distinguished by their unique dome-headed skull.
A vertebrate paleontologist named Robert Sullivan stated how amazing it was to find the Dracorex skull in such intact form, something that rarely happens. The Dracorex's flat head was covered with sharp spikes, bubble-like lumps of bones, a long muzzle, and spiky horns.
There's speculation that the horns shrunk and gradually became round as the dome got larger.
The genus Dracorex is a Pachycephalosaur that has a direct link to the Pachycephalosaurus. A research team headed by Jack Horner has concluded that both the Dracorex and Stygimoloch represented early growth stages of yet another dinosaur genus, Pachycephalosaurus, though this conclusion hasn't yet been accepted by everyone in the scientific community.
Recently, science and paleontology findings have suggested that it was closely related to a young Pachycephalosaurus but had more detailed and thick cranial ornamentation. The Dracorex hogwartsia made its home in grasslands and forests or any other habitat that had thick vegetation since it ate plants.
These dinosaurs would have probably lived among other herbivorous dinosaurs too.
With its discovery being new to science, the Dracorex name means 'Dragon king of Hogwarts'! Continue reading this article to learn more facts about Dracorex dinosaurs.
If you'd like to learn more about other similar dinosaurs, check out our Caviramus interesting facts for kids or Sauropelta fun facts that are sure to keep you hooked!
Dracorex Interesting Facts
How do you pronounce 'Dracorex'?
The name of this pachycephalosaurid that lived during the Late Cretaceous period in South Dakota 60-70 million years ago in the USA is pronounced as 'Dray-ko-rex'. The collected fossil remains of this plant-eating dinosaur include a skull and four vertebrae.
What type of dinosaur was a Dracorex?
Dracorex hogwartsia was a type of pachycephalosaurus dinosaur whose discovery created quite the stir in the world of science. This dinosaur had a dangerous-looking head with sharp spikes and horn knobs.
It was also slightly flat compared to many of its relatives. Some researchers through intensive data think that Dracorex and another genus named Stygimoloch may have represented different growth stages of the Pachycephalosaurus species.
In which geological period did the Dracorex roam the Earth?
The dinosaur Dracorex roamed the Earth around the Late Cretaceous period and was believed to have inhabited parts of Asia and North America. Some scientists believe that this dinosaur is a species of Stygimoloch, which was also very similar to the Dracorex hogwartsia in appearance.
When did the Dracorex become extinct?
The Dracorex family is Pachycephalosauridae. This dinosaur had a scary-looking head and lived about 95-65 million years ago. Their existence was wiped out due to natural occurrences like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, meteor hits, and so on!
Where did a Dracorex live?
A Dracorex hogwartsia settled in a habitat like grasslands and forests or any other habitat that had thick vegetation.
What was a Dracorex's habitat?
These dinosaurs that had a diet of plants and leaves also made their homes in habitats that were rich in vegetation. They did not like crowded places and some believed that they also occupied woodlands.
Who did a Dracorex live with?
The Dracorex hogwartsii lived in small herds of up to four members.
How long did a Dracorex live?
Like all dinosaurs, these heavy set animals would have lived for about 70-80 years, having the same lifespan as an elephant.
How did they reproduce?
The plant-eating dinosaurs were oviparous. This meant they reproduced by laying eggs. Not much is known about the parenting styles of these dinosaurs but they would have abandoned their eggs at an early stage. Once the eggs hatched, the nestlings became independent at an early stage!
Dracorex Fun Facts
What did a Dracorex look like?
The Dracorex or Dracorex hogwartsii was Pachycephalosaur that was of medium-size. Bearing a close resemblance to mythical creatures, this species had some interesting physical features!
With the Dracorex fossil remains being found in the Hell Creek Formation, it looked like something that came straight out of hell!
The Dracorex skull was the most intriguing part of the Dracorex skeleton. This animal with a flat head form also had sharp spikes on it along with multiple horns and looked like a young Pachycephalosaur.
The large flat dome proved to provide optimum cranial protection for this herbivore. Although it was established through research and study that this pachycephalosaurus fed on vegetation, their teeth structure said otherwise.
This is why some scientists, still today, believe that the Dracorex hogwartsia might have been an omnivore.
Standing at a height of 47.2 in (1.1 m) and being 118.1 in (3 m) long, these herbivores were given their name by Bob Bakker in 2006. It was one of the few dinosaurs whose skull material had been discovered in good state, as clearly mentioned by Dr. Robert Sullivan.
How many bones did a Dracorex have?
Very little is known about the number of bones the Dracorex hogwartsia had but given their size, they would have definitely had over 150 bones. Everything about this dinosaur is known only from a skull and four vertebrates!
How did they communicate?
As they were dinosaurs, they would have communicated with each other through visual and vocal displays. Its head with interesting features would have been used greatly in head rebuttals and also in warding away any predators.
How big was a Dracorex?
The Dracorex size was about 47.2 in (1.1 m) tall and was 118.1 in (3 m) in length. The Dracorex height was similar to that of the modern-day penguin!
How fast could a Dracorex move?
This animal from the family of Pachcephalosaurs was an excellent runner. They were believed to have had a running speed of 34.8 mph (56 kph), and ran as fast as a coyote!
How much did a Dracorex weigh?
This Late Cretaceous species that looked close to a Stygimoloch and ate plants weighed about 154 lb (69.8 kg), the same as a wolf!
What were the male and female names of the species?
These flat headed dinosaurs with horn knobs, spikes, and bubble shaped bones did not have any specific male or female names. They simply go by their common name Dracorex or scientifically, Dracorex hogwartsia.
What would you call a baby Dracorex?
A baby Dracorex is called a hatchling or a nestling, just like the babies of all species of dinosaurs!
What did they eat?
These dinosaurs were plant-eaters and shared similar diet patterns to sheep, horses, cows, and other such cattle.
How aggressive were they?
These flat headed dinosaurs were believed to have been very aggressive towards humans but not so much to members of their own kind. They could have displayed aggressive behavior if they or their habitats were threatened in any way.
Did you know...
Stygimoloch, Nanotyrannus, Dracorex and a few others were the last dinosaurs to appear on Earth! They lived towards the end of the dinosaur age.
The Dracorex order is Ornithischia and it is believed by many to be the last flat-headed dinosaur to be discovered from North America! Some also believe that this herbivore with unique physical feature could not have even lived or been real because they might have just been a young pachcephalosaurus .
What type of dinosaur is the Dracorex?
The Dracorex is a pachycephalosaur that lived in the end of the dinosaur age and was identified after the discovery of its intriguing skull. The skull did not have the dome features of its pachycephalosaurid family. Instead, it had spikes, frills and sharp knobs that made it look close to a mythical dragon.
Who was the Dracorex named after and why?
If you're an avid 'Harry Potter' fan or rather, a 'Potterhead', the Dracorex 's scary head inspired paleontologists to name it after Draco Malfoy, the evil character in the 'Harry Potter' books by J. K. Rowling. The Dracorex hogwartsia name means 'Dragon king of Hogwarts', literally!
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures from our Rahonavis amazing facts for kids, or Yinlong fun facts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Dracorex coloring pages.
Second image by Daniel Schwen
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