Micropachycephalosaurus (meaning "small thick headed lizard") is a monotypic genus of ornithischian dinosaur. It lived in Shandong Province, China during the Late Cretaceous period (between 70 and 68.5 million years ago). The incomplete skeleton of the single specimen was found on a cliff southwest of Laiyang. It was bipedal and herbivorous, and currently has the longest generic name of any dinosaur like Argentinosaurus. Ironically, it was also among the smallest of the dinosaurs, at a little over 1 meter (3.3 feet) long.
Discovery[]
The holotype, IVPP V5542 was found on a cliff southwest of Laiyang, Shandong Province, near Hongtuyan train station. The remains were named and described by Dong Zhiming in 1978 as belonging to the new genus and species Micropachycephalosaurus hongtuyanensis, which he incorrectly figured was discovered in the Wangshi Formation.
IVPP V5542 consisted of the left quadrate, a partial tooth row with seven teeth, another partial tooth row with no teeth preserved, a single loose tooth, a partial basioccipital, the centra of three posterior dorsal and two sacral vertebrae, associated with impressions of the neural spines of the posteriormost dorsal and four sacrals, four partial caudal vertebrae preserved in near articulation with associated chevrons, the isolated centra of seven caudals (one with a partial neural arch), a single isolated partial caudal neural arch, a partial left ilium, a left femur, and the proximal portion of the left tibia. Dong (1978) briefly described, but did not figure, a parietal and squamosal that also supposedly belonged to the holotype, but Butler & Zhao (2009) were unable to locate them.
Taxonomy[]
The genus contains only the type species, Micropachycephalosaurus hongtuyanensis. Paleontologist Dong Zhiming originally described it as a member of the Pachycephalosauria, a group of bipedal dome-headed herbivores. However, re-evaluation of the family Pachycephalosauridae by Sullivan in 2006 cast doubt on this assignment. Further study of the original fossil specimens by Butler and Zhao in 2008 also failed to find any characteristics linking Micropachycephalosaurus with the pachycephalosaurs. The one piece of evidence that could provide this link, the supposedly thickened skull roof, was missing from the fossil collection the scientists examined, and so could not be used to support or refute its original classification. Butler and Zhao therefore classified it as an indeterminate member of the Cerapoda. In 2011, cladistic analysis performed by Butler et al. showed that Micropachycephalosaurus is a basal member of the Ceratopsia and they are the latest ceratopsian that walks on two legs. Micropachycephalosaurus was mistaken as a Pachycephalosaur in National Geographic dinosaur books. It has the longest generic name dinosaur in the world.
JPInstitute.com Description[]
Micropachycephalosaurus is a very small member of the family of dome-headed dinosaurs that includes its larger North American cousin, the Pachycephalosaurus. This very small dinosaur also has the longest name of any dinosaur! Members of this family are well known from North America, but this little guy is one of only two ever discovered in Asia.
Known from only post-cranial remains, there is some dissension over whether this animal belongs to the Pachycephalosauridae or the Homalocephalidae.
Appearance in other media[]
Jurassic Park[]
In LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit then they can say “Micropachycephalosaurus”, it was only Mentioned.