Fun Gravitholus Facts For Kids

Do you find dinosaurs fascinating? Then here we have all the information on the Gravitholus. The Gravitholus (Gravitholus albertae) was a species of prehistoric ornithischian dinosaur that belonged to the genus Gravitholus. There has been only one fossil of their skull found, so a lot about them is still unknown to scientists. However, we will be discussing the little that has been discovered by scientists as per recent publications. Their name, meaning 'heavy dome', probably came from the fossil of the dinosaur that has been found. It proved that they have a thick skull made of dense bones. Scientists have found proof that they used to be aggressive in a way that they used to fight against others of their own species and other species. However, they only became aggressive when they were defending their territory or themselves and during courtship behavior.

How do you pronounce 'Gravitholus'?

The Gravitholus pronunciation is 'Gra-vih-tho-luse'.

What type of dinosaur was a Gravitholus?

Gravitholus is a species of ornithischian dinosaur that belongs to the family Pachycephalosauridae and genus Gravitholus.

In which geological period did the Gravitholus roam the earth?

Gravitholus roamed the earth in the Late Cretaceous period around 75 million years ago during the Campanian stage.

When did the Gravitholus become extinct?

The Gravitholus roamed the earth around the late Cretaceous period, around 75 million years ago. The Mesozoic era ended along with the Cretaceous period around 66 million years ago. The end of the Cretaceous was marked by a mass extinction event that caused the death of many species of dinosaurs as well as plants. It's assumed that the Gravitholus probably did not survive this event. Hence, they probably went extinct around 66 million years ago when the Cretaceous period and Mesozoic era ended.

Where did the Gravitholus live?

The only fossil of the Gravitholus that has been found till now was found in the Oldman Formation of the Belly River Group located in Alberta, Canada. Hence, it's assumed that the Gravitholus used to live in Alberta, Canada.

What was a Gravitholus' habitat?

During the Cretaceous period, the climate was quite warm. This created a number of shallow inland seas. However, around the Late Cretaceous period was when the Paleogene period of the Cenozoic era was approaching. At that time, the climate started drying and cooling down little by little. Hence, it's possible that the Gravitholus lived in a cooler climate than its predecessors.

Who did the Gravitholus live with?

It's not known whether Gravitholus lived in groups or were solitary in nature. However, Pachycephalosaurid dinosaurs, like the Pachycephalosaurus, liked to live in groups. Not much is known about other dinosaurs of the family.

How long did a Gravitholus live?

Due to a lack of data, very little content is available. Hence, the exact lifespan of the Gravitholus is not known.

How did they reproduce?

Only a single bone of the skull of the Gravitholus has been found till now. They also lived about 75 million years ago. That's why proper research could not have been done on the Gravitholus, so not much is known about the reproductive system of the species as well. The only thing known is that Gravitholus were oviparous in nature. Oviparous animals, like reptiles, amphibians, birds, and fish, give birth by laying eggs. Hence, the only thing known to scientists is that Gravitholus also gave birth to their young ones by laying eggs. 

What did Gravitholus look like?

Owing to the only fossil of the Gravitholus found, very little data is available on the dinosaur. They were medium-sized dinosaurs. With their long bodies, we can assume them to be quite agile. Their fossil proved that they had a thick skull dome that was made up of dense bone similar to any other pachycephalosaurid dinosaur. They were bipedal, so they had very small forelimbs and large hindlimbs, which helped them move around.

How many bones did a Gravitholus have?

The only fossil of the Gravitholus that has been found till now is of their skull. Hence, very little content is available on the dinosaur, and it's quite impossible to know the number of bones the Gravitholus had. All dinosaurs, in general, had about 200 bones in their body. Large-sized dinosaurs probably had a few more bones in their body. However, considering that the Gravitholus are medium-sized dinosaurs, they probably had more or less 200 bones.

How did they communicate?

The Gravitholus probably communicated visually, vocally, and by sound. The exact method the Gravitholus used for communication is not known, owing to the very limited data available on the dinosaur. Dinosaurs, in general, were known to grunt and bellow at each other. They sometimes showed aggression during courtship behavior when they were fighting against each other.

How big was the Gravitholus?

An adult Gravitholus size was about 9 ft (2.7 m) in length and about 6 ft (1.8 m) in height. They are about 11 - 12 times shorter in length and are about 10 times shorter in height. An adult Argentinosaurus was about 98.4-131.2 ft (30-40 m) in length and 70 ft (21.3 m) in height.

How fast could a Gravitholus move?

The exact speed at which Gravitholus moved is not known. However, they appeared to have an agile body, and they were bipedal where they moved on their hindlimbs. Bipedal dinosaurs, in general, could move at quite a fast pace, so it can be assumed that Gravitholus could also move and run pretty well.

How much did a Gravitholus weigh?

An adult Gravitholus weighed about 143.3 lb (65 kg) on average.

What were the male and female names of the species?

Males and females have no specific names.

What would you call a baby Gravitholus?

A baby Gravitholus is called a hatchling, nestling, or juvenile.

What did they eat?

Gravitholus were herbivorous in nature. Hence, they used to feed on plant matter. During the Cretaceous period, the plants that used to thrive were sycamores, poplars, figs, willows, magnolias, various herbaceous plants, and more. Gravitholus probably used to feed on the leaves, twigs, and seeds of these plants.

How aggressive were they?

Gravitholus was known to be aggressive only during courtship or when they were defending their territory. They were herbivorous dinosaurs, so they probably were not aggressive towards other species if they weren't threatened by them.

Did you know...

Gravitholus used to headbutt each other when they were fighting with others of their species. They probably also used their head, which had a thick skull made up of dense bones, when they were defending themselves against other dinosaurs or fighting with them. This has been figured out from the research that has been done on the only fossil of the skull of the Gravitholus that was found.

To this day, it is still debated among scientists whether Gravitholus are of the same genus as Stegoceras or if they belong to a separate valid genus. For now, papers written in recent publications by multiple researchers tell us that they belonged to a valid genus of their own, genus Gravitholus.

How did the Gravitholus get its name?

The name 'Gravitholus', meaning 'heavy dome', comes from words in two languages. Here, the Latin word 'gravis' means 'heavy', and the Greek word 'tholos' means 'dome'. Their scientific name is Gravitholus albertae. They are believed to have lived in the present-day Alberta province of Canada. That's probably why they were given the name 'albertae'.

How thick is a Gravitholus' skull?

Gravitholus had a pretty thick skull. In fact, all the dinosaurs of the Pachycephalosauridae family had thick skulls. When compared to another species, Gravitholus had a thicker skull than Stegoceras.

*We've been unable to source an image of Gravitholus and have used an image of Stegoceras instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Gravitholus, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected].