Ornatotholus

ornate dome

• ornatus · Latin · adorned, decorated
• tholos · Greek · dome

The name combines the Latin "ornatus" (adorned or decorated) with the Greek "tholos" (dome or rotunda). It refers to the low, domed skull roof of this pachycephalosaur, which has a decorated, ornamented surface of small nodes. The only named species is Ornatotholus browni.

Named by

Wall and Galton

Year named

1979

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Campanian

Found in

Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, Canada

A pachycephalosaurid (dome-headed dinosaur) known from a skull dome. It is generally regarded as a junior synonym of Stegoceras, and the type specimen is often interpreted as a young or otherwise variable Stegoceras individual. Its exact status has been debated, so treat the synonymy as the commonly accepted view and not a settled one.