Prenocephale
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 An artist's impression of Prenocephale.
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Prenocephale was a small pachycephalosaurid dinosaur genus from the Late Cretaceous (from the Campanian through to the Maastrichtian) and was similar in many ways to its close relative, Homalocephale. Prenocephale probably weighed around 130 kilograms and was around 2m to 3m long. Unlike the flattened wedge-shaped skull of Homalocephale, the head of Prenocephale was rounded and sloping. It lived in what is now Mongolia.
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[edit] Anatomy
Like other pachycephalosaurs, Prenocephale is known only from skulls, and a few other small bones.[1] For this reason, reconstructions usually depict Prenocephale as sharing the basic body plan common to all of the other Pachycephalosauria: a stout body with a short, thick neck, short forelimbs and tall hind legs.
Though related more closely to Homalocephale, the head of Prenocephale was comparable to the Stegoceras, albeit with closed supratemporal fenestrae. Also, the paired grooves above the supraorbitals/prefrontals (along with a posterior parietal that restricts the frontal dome) are absent in Prenocephale. This differentiates the species from Stegoceras, as such features are common in the latter. It has been suggested that Prenocephale's supposed relative, Sphaerotholus is actually a Prenocephale. If this is the case, Prenocephale would have also lived in North America as well as in Mongolia. [2]
[edit] Diet
As with most of its relatives, scientists do not yet know what these dinosaurs ate. However the premaxillary teeth and muzzle are not as wideset as its relative Stegoceras, indicating different feeding preferences (possibly indicating that Prenocephale was a more selective forager).[3] It may have been an omnivore, eating both plants and insects.
[edit] Classification
Prenocephale is a member of the Pachycephalosauria, a large clade of herbivorous/omnivorous dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous. Initially, the species P. brevis, P. edmontonensis, and P. goodwini were indentified as Stegoceras, but are now referrable to Prenocephale.[3]
It has also been proposed by Robert Sullivan that P. brevis, P. edmontonensis, and P. goodwini, come together to form a clade with the Asian taxa P. prenes as a currently unresolved sister group. Tylocephale, has been interpreted as the sister taxon to the Prenocephale clade. The species Sphaerotholus buchholtzae, could be a subjective junior synonym of P. edmontonensis.[4][5] They all possess a distinct row of nodes on the squamosal and parietal areas of the skull roof.
[edit] In popular culture
Prenocephale was shown in the Discovery Channel special Dinosaur Planet. It was depicted as living in small herds, in which males fought with their heads. They were also portrayed defending themselves from Velociraptor.
[edit] References
- ^ A new (2007) Prenocephale skeleton has been discovered in Mongolia, and measures 5.25ft (160cm) in length. This specimen preserves both fore and hindlimb elements, a complete spinal vertebra, tail and ribs. It is a one of a kind specimen that has yet to be described but has been attibuted to Prenocephale sp.
- ^ Re: Sphaerotholus
- ^ a b Pachycephalosauria
- ^ Robert M. Sullivan (2003). REVISION OF THE DINOSAUR STEGOCERAS LAMBE (ORNITHISCHIA, PACHYCEPHALOSAURIDAE).
- ^ Dinosaurian Ungulates (Ornithopods)
