Acrotholus

Say it like this: “ACK-rho-THO-luhs”

Acrotholus audeti

Acrotholus ate plants and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Canada.

Quiz me on Acrotholus

When: Late Cretaceous (Santonian) · roughly 85.7 to 83.6 million years ago
Named in: 2013 · Evans, D. C.; Schott, R. K.; Larson, D. W.; Brown, C. M.; Ryan, M. J.
Hip height: Not established
Length: Not established
Weight: Not established
Found in: Canada · Milk River
Food and walking: Herbivore · Two legs
Kind: dome-headed dinosaur · Pachycephalosaur
Family branch: Pachycephalosaurinae

The story in short

The genus Acrotholus dates to 2013, the year D. C. Evans and colleagues described it.

Fossils referred to Acrotholus date to the Late Cretaceous (Santonian), roughly 85.7 to 83.6 million years ago. Finds come from Canada, including the Milk River Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on two legs.

The fossils of Acrotholus are too incomplete for a responsible length, hip height, or weight, so those fields are left blank on purpose.

On the family tree it sits in Pachycephalosaurinae, among the dome-headed dinosaurs.

Close relatives

Alaskacephale

Alaskacephale gangloffi

Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago

Brontotholus

Brontotholus harmoni

Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago

Foraminacephale

Foraminacephale brevis

Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago