Oldest and most complete fossil of a dome-headed dinosaur is found in Mongolia

Scientists have unearthed in Mongolia the oldest and most complete fossil of a pachycephalosaur, a group of dinosaurs known for their dome-shaped skulls, according to a new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Scientists have unearthed in Mongolia the oldest and most complete fossil of a pachycephalosaur, a group of dinosaurs known for their dome-shaped skulls, according to a new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

The fossil, which dates to 108 to 115 million years ago, is that of a juvenile from a previously unknown species that researchers are calling Zavacephale rinpoche.

It was discovered in the Khuren Dukh formation in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, a landlocked country between China and Russia, by a team led by paleontologist Tsogtbaatar Chinzorig of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences.

Very little is known about pachycephalosaurs, two-legged herbivores that lived in Asia and North America during the Cretaceous period and are among the “most enigmatic” dinosaurs, the study said. They have become an object of growing popular fascination thanks to their distinctive, bony skulls, as well as appearances in media such as the “Jurassic Park” films.

Previously discovered pachycephalosaur fossils were limited mostly to skulls.