Re: more on Dracorex hogwartsia

[Matt Celeskey <deadanimal@hmnh.org>]

Here's the citation for Dracorex hogwartsia:

Bakker, R. T., Sullivan, R. M., Porter, V., Larson, P. and Salsbury, S. 
J. 2006 “Dracorex hogwartsia, n. gen., n. sp., a spiked, flat-headed 
pachycephalosaurid dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek 
Formation of South Dakota.” in Lucas, S. G. and Sullivan, R. M., eds., 
Late Cretaceous vertebrates from the Western Interior. New Mexico 
Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 35, p. 331–345.

And here's the abstract:

"The pachycephalosaurid Dracorex hogwartsia, n. gen., n. sp., is a new 
pachycephalosaurin based on a nearly complete, and excellently 
preserved, young-adult skull from the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek 
Formation (Lancian) of South Dakota. D. hogwartsia shows an unexpected 
mix of truly very primitive and very advanced features: no dome; wide 
open supratempral fenestrae; large, spiked nodes on the squamosals; 
nodes of various shapes and sizes covering the skull including the 
cheek and snout; and a very long snout and tooth row. The so-called 
“primitive” nature of the skull (i.e.: the well-developed supratemporal 
fenestrae and discernable peripheral skull elements: anterior + 
posterior supraorbitals and postorbitals 1 + 2, suggest that these 
features are present as the result of paedomorphosis. Consequently, all 
previous phylogenetic analyses are considered inadequate. At least 
three pachycephalosaurins co-existed in the Lancian - Dracorex, 
Pachycephalosaurus, and Stygimoloch. Strong sexual-social selection 
probably generated the morphological diversity in skull shapes of these 
Late Cretaceous pachycephalosaurids."

The NMMNH&S and the Children's Museum of Indianapolis have released 
some photographs and artwork to the press. I've summarized all the info 
I've come across and posted it up at the Hairy Museum of Natural 
History:

http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2006/05/22/dragon-people-dear-readers/

It is a beautifully strange critter.

Anyone interested in the current state pachycephalosaur taxonomy should 
get their hands on NMMNH&S Bulletin 35...actually there's some good 
stuff in there about hadrosaurs, also, and sharks, turtles, and 
crocodiles. Its not yet available through the museum's online store but 
it should be before too long.

--Matt Celeskey.

deadanimaldesign@hmnh.org
http://www.hmnh.org