About Homalocephale
| Scientific Name (Genus) | Homalocephale |
| Meaning of Name | Even head homalos (even, flat) [Greek] - kephale (head) [Greek] |
| Classification | Ornithischia, Marginocephalia (Pachycephalosauria) |
| Total Length | Approx. 2m |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Period | Late Cretaceous (approx. 80 million years ago) |
| Species | Homalocephale calathocercos *The species name calathocercos means "basket tail," referring to the structure of ossified tendons that reinforced the tail. |
| Year of Paper Publication | 1974 |
Characteristics
Unusually for a pachycephalosaur, its head was flat on top.
Homalocephale is a dinosaur classified as a pachycephalosaur. It is estimated to have been about 2m long and weighed 50kg.
Unlike other pachycephalosaurs, the top of its head was flat. This feature is the origin of its genus name.
A very unique theory was once proposed for Homalocephale. Based on the very wide hips of the discovered specimen, it was suggested that it might have been "ovoviviparous," meaning it hatched its eggs inside its body and gave birth to live young, rather than laying eggs.
However, subsequent research has suggested that the wide hips are more likely due to individual variation or the space occupied by the intestines, and very few researchers now support the ovoviviparity theory. It is known as one of the interesting hypotheses in the history of dinosaur research.
The Childhood of Prenocephale?
The most important point about Homalocephale is that it is now widely accepted not as an independent genus, but as a juvenile or subadult (young individual) of Prenocephale.
Previously, the flat-headed Homalocephale and the dome-headed Prenocephale were thought to be different dinosaurs. However, research by Dr. Jack Horner and others has shown that many dinosaurs, especially pachycephalosaurs, underwent dramatic changes in head shape as they grew. Even if they had a flat head as a child, the iconic round dome would have developed as they matured.
Based on this idea, the "flat-headed Homalocephale" would have been the appearance of "Prenocephale in its childhood," before the dome developed. A similar case is seen in the theory that Dracorex and Stygimoloch are growth stages of Pachycephalosaurus.
Homalocephale Stamp & Fossil Gallery
