suborder pachycephalosaurus

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Definition

Noun A taxonomic suborder of ornithischian dinosaurs characterized by having thick, domed skulls. These dinosaurs lived during the Late Cretaceous period and are informally known as bone-headed dinosaurs.

Usage

The term is used in scientific classification (taxonomy) to group a specific type of dinosaur. * The fossil record for the suborder Pachycephalosaurus is primarily based on cranial remains. * Researchers study the suborder Pachycephalosaurus to understand dinosaur behavior.

Advanced Usage
  • In paleontological literature, the name is often used in a taxonomic context to discuss evolutionary relationships within Ornithischia.
  • The defining characteristic of this group is the pachyostotic (thickened) frontoparietal bone forming a dome.
Variants and Related Words
  • Pachycephalosaurid (noun): A member of the family Pachycephalosauridae within this suborder.
    • Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis is a well-known pachycephalosaurid.
  • Pachycephalosauria (noun): This is the more formally recognized infraorder or clade name that is often synonymous with the suborder in modern classifications.
Synonyms
  • Bone-headed dinosaurs (informal collective term)
Notes on Meaning

This term refers specifically to a formal taxonomic rank (suborder) within biological classification. It should not be confused with the genus Pachycephalosaurus, which is just one member (type genus) of this larger group.

Noun
  1. boneheaded dinosaurs; late Cretaceous

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