Name:
Sphaerotholus (Greek for "ball dome"); pronounced SPHERE-oh-THOLE-us
Habitat:
Woodlands of North America
Historical Period:
Late Cretaceous (75-65 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 6 feet long; weight unknown
Diet:
Plants
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Large, hemispherical, domed skull
About Sphaerotholus:
Sphaerotholus presents a bit of a paradox: when it was dug up in New Mexico a few years ago, the skull of this herbivore was one of the most complete ever found of a pachycephalosaur (bone-headed dinosaur). However, not much was found beside the skull, which has led some experts to speculate that Sphaerotholus was actually a species of another dinosaur genus, Prenocephale.
So where's the paradox? Well, for one thing, Prenocephale roamed the woodlands of Asia during the late Cretaceous period, whereas the dinosaur known as Sphaerotholus was confined to North America. If they do turn out to belong to the same genus, Sphaerotholus/Prenocephale would likely become the most widespread of all the pachycephalosaurs.
