Micropachycephalosaurus
MY-kro-PAK-ee-SEF-ah-lo-SORE-us /ˌmaɪkroʊˌpækiˌsɛfəloʊˈsɔːrəs/
Accepted genus
tiny thick-headed lizard
- mikros · Greek · small, tiny
- pachys · Greek · thick
- kephale · Greek · head
- sauros · Greek · lizard
The name combines Greek roots meaning "tiny", "thick", "head" and "lizard", so "tiny thick-headed lizard". It was chosen because the animal is a pachycephalosaur (a thick-skulled, dome-headed dinosaur) and was thought to be very small. It is known for having one of the longest genus names of any dinosaur.
- Named by
- Dong
- Year named
- 1978
- Period
- Late Cretaceous
- Found in
- Wangshi Group, Laiyang, Shandong Province, China
Type species M. hongtuyanensis. It is a pachycephalosaurid known from fragmentary remains, and was originally described as a small pachycephalosaur, with some doubt about its exact age and affinities. Its original authorship (Dong 1978) is recorded here as the standard attribution.