Pachycephalosaurus Coloring Pages

A Dinosaur with a Very Hard Head

Pachycephalosaurus is a dinosaur with a big dome-like bump on top of its head.
Its name means "thick-headed lizard."
People say the bone of the dome was up to 25 centimeters (about 10 inches) thick at its thickest part.
It really was the hardest-headed dinosaur of all!

Bumps and Spikes Around the Dome

Around the back edge of the dome, there is a row of small, round bumps and short spikes.
There are also a few small spikes on top of its nose.
If you look at the first coloring page, you can easily see the difference between the smooth dome and the bumpy edges around it.
It walked on two legs, had very small front arms, and had a long, straight tail.

The Same Time as Tyrannosaurus

Pachycephalosaurus lived during the Late Cretaceous period, right at the end of the dinosaur age.
It lived in North America about 66 million years ago.
Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops lived in the same place at the same time, too.
Pachycephalosaurus was about 4 to 5 meters (13 to 16 feet) long, and experts think it mostly ate plants.

Pushing Heads Together to Test Their Strength

The second coloring page shows two Pachycephalosaurus pushing their domes together.
Experts think Pachycephalosaurus hit heads with others of its kind to see who was stronger.
That is just like sheep or goats today that crash their horns together!
Behind them, you can see a Cretaceous forest with a flowing river, pine trees, and ferns.

Compare the Two Coloring Pages

The first picture shows the whole body of Pachycephalosaurus from the side.
It is holding its head high, so you can clearly see the round dome and the line of its body from its neck to its tail.
In the second picture, both dinosaurs lower their heads way down to point their domes forward.
When they headbutted, they likely held their body straight from neck to tail to put all their power into their head.
Even for the same dinosaur, changing the pose makes it look very different!

Make the dome stand out with bright colors!

The coolest part of Pachycephalosaurus is the dome on its head.
If you color it differently from the body, its hard head will really pop!
For example, try making the body green or brown, and color the dome cream or light orange.
If you leave the top of the dome a little lighter, it will look round and bumpy.

Color the bumps and spikes one by one

Color the bumps and spikes around the dome with a darker color than the dome, one by one.
Using dark brown or gray makes them look like hard, bumpy bones.
It is also fun to switch colors every other bump in the row!

Dark on the back, light on the belly

For the body, make the back dark and the belly light to make it look 3D.
Nobody really knows the actual colors of dinosaurs.
You can add your own stripes or polka dots to make your very own original Pachycephalosaurus!

Use different colors for the two dinosaurs

If you color the two dinosaurs on the second page with different colors, it will be easy to tell them apart.
Color the sky light blue, the river blue, the mountains light purple, and the trees and ferns green and yellow-green to create a Cretaceous forest.
Try outlining the area around where their domes touch in yellow.
It will make a powerful picture that feels like you can hear a loud "Thump!" sound!

Did they really headbutt each other?

For a long time, scientists have disagreed on whether relatives of Pachycephalosaurus actually headbutted each other.
In 2013, a study looked at the domes of over 100 relatives of Pachycephalosaurus.
They found healed injuries on about 1 out of every 5 domes!
Most of these injuries were right on top of the dome, which is thought to be proof that they were headbutting.

Did they have lots of spikes as kids?

Dinosaurs with many long spikes on their heads, called Dracorex and Stygimoloch, were once found.
However, in 2009, a study came out showing that these might actually be young Pachycephalosaurus!
As they grew up, their spikes may have gotten shorter while their domes grew bigger.
It is a mysterious dinosaur, and scientists are still studying it today.

Almost only heads have been found

Most of the Pachycephalosaurus fossils that have been found are just their hard domes.
Since almost no body bones have been found, we guess what their bodies looked like based on their close dinosaur relatives.
Their domes were so hard that they easily survived as fossils!