Amtocephale

Amto-head (second element Greek for 'head')

• Amto- · Mongolian · first element of the name (derived from a Mongolian word; exact sense not confirmed here)
• kephale · Greek · head

The name combines a Mongolian-derived first element with the Greek 'kephale', meaning 'head'. The 'head' ending is typical of pachycephalosaurs ('thick-headed lizards'), whose skulls had thickened bony domes. The type species is Amtocephale gobiensis, with 'gobiensis' referring to the Gobi region where it was found. I am not certain of the exact meaning of the Mongolian root, so I have not translated it.

Named by

Watabe, Tsogtbaatar and Sullivan

Year named

2011

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Santonian

Found in

Bayanshiree Formation, Gobi Desert, Mongolia

A small domed pachycephalosaur known from a partial skull roof. The exact meaning of the Mongolian root 'amto-' is not verified here.