Tarchia

brainy one

• tarkhi (tarchia) · Mongolian · brain

Tarchia comes from the Mongolian word for "brain". Maleev chose it because the first skull he studied had a relatively large braincase, which he took to mean the animal was "brainy". The name is a bit of a misnomer, since the large braincase was later seen as typical of armoured dinosaurs and not a sign of high intelligence.

Named by

Maleev

Year named

1956

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stages

Campanian – Maastrichtian

Found in

Nemegt and Barun Goyot formations, Gobi Desert, Mongolia

Tarchia is a large ankylosaurid (armoured dinosaur). The exact species content and stratigraphic range are debated, so the stage range here is approximate. Some Tarchia material was previously assigned to Dyoplosaurus.