1.42" Fossil Pachycephalosaurus Claw - North Dakota

This is a 1.42" long claw of the dinosaur Pachycephalosaurus ("thick headed lizard"). It was collected from our partners lease near Bowman, North Dakota. Just under half an inch of the tip has been restored. This restoration runs further down the ventral edges of the claw.

Pachycephalosaurus was a bipedal dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period and probably was about 15 feet in length.

Pachycephalosaurus had a distinctive, large, bony, dome on top of its skull up to 10 inches thick to cushion its brain from impacts.

Some paleontologists believe this thick skull may have been used for head-butting, much like modern-day rams, while others contend it may have been a sexual display.

It was one of the last non-avian dinosaurs before the K-T extinction event, 65 million years ago.

There is only one known species of Pachycephalosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis. Its remains have been found in Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming.

It was either a herbivore or an omnivore with small leaf shaped teeth which would have been very effective at shredding plants.