Pachycephalosaurus, /ˌpækɪˌsɛfələˈsɔːrəs/; meaning "thick-headed lizard", from Greek pachys-/παχύς- "thick", kephale/κεφαλή "head" and sauros/σαῦρος "lizard") is a genus of pachycephalosaurid dinosaurs. The type species, P. wyomingensis, is the only known species. It lived during the Late Cretaceous Period (Maastrichtian stage) of what is now North America. Remains have been excavated in Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Alberta. It was a herbivorous creature which is primarily known from a single skull and a few extremely thick skull roofs, at 22 centimetres (9 inches) thick. More complete fossils have been found in recent years. Pachycephalosaurus was among the last non-avian dinosaurs before the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. The genus Tylosteus has been synonymized with Pachycephalosaurus, as have the genera Stygimoloch and Dracorex in recent studies.
