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clade · 22 represented species

Marginocephalia

Marginocephalia unites pachycephalosaurs and ceratopsians, ornithischians characterized by specialized bone along the rear margin of the skull.

Explore this branch Parent: Neornithischia

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Marginocephalia

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Representative silhouette for Marginocephalia
2Direct child groups
4Countries represented
161–66 MaDataset range

Definition

Characteristics and significance

The lineage produced two contrasting forms of cranial elaboration: thickened skull roofs and expanded frills with horns.

  • Bony shelf or thickening at the rear of the skull
  • Beaked, herbivorous jaws

Name meaning: Fringed heads

Branch structure

Direct branches in this dataset

Representative taxa

Dinosaurs in this branch

Cretaceous

Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis

The largest well-known dome-headed dinosaur, from the latest Cretaceous of the western United States. Adult skulls carry a massive rounded dome and a fringe of blunt nodes, but much of the body remains reconstructed from incomplete skeletons and close relatives.

herbivore~4.5 m

Cretaceous

Zavacephale rinpoche

The oldest definitive and most complete known pachycephalosaur, a sheepdog-sized Mongolian herbivore whose dome developed before its body finished growing.

herbivore~0.95 m

Cretaceous

Protoceratops andrewsi

A sheep- to pig-sized, four-legged ceratopsian from Mongolia’s Late Cretaceous dune fields, known from abundant skulls and skeletons, a juvenile nest and the extraordinary ‘Fighting Dinosaurs’ fossil.

herbivore~2 m

Cretaceous

Pachyrhinosaurus canadensis

A large Canadian centrosaurine whose nose carried a broad roughened boss instead of a conventional horn, known from multiple partial skulls and regional bonebeds.

herbivore~6 m

Cretaceous

Centrosaurus apertus

A short-frilled horned dinosaur from Alberta, famous for its long nasal horn, hooked frill ornaments and enormous mass-death bonebeds.

herbivore~5.5 m

Distribution

Geographic record

United States · Mongolia · Canada · China

Country-level summary of represented seed records, not a complete range map.

Sources

Further reading