Nodocephalosaurus
From Latin 'nodus' (knob), Greek 'kephale' (head), and Greek 'sauros' (lizard); meaning 'knob headed lizard', referring to the nodular ornamentation on its skull.
Nodocephalosaurus is a monospecific genus of ankylosaurid dinosaur from New Mexico that lived during the Late Cretaceous (late Campanian to early Maastrichtian stage, 73.49 to 72 Ma) in what is now the De-na-zin member of the Kirtland Formation. The type and only species, Nodocephalosaurus kirtlandensis, is known only from a partial skull. It was named in 1999 by Robert M. Sullivan. Nodocephalosaurus has an estimated length of 4.5 meters (15 feet) and weight of 1.5 tonnes (3,306 lbs). It is closely related and shares similar cranial anatomy to Akainacephalus.
Diagnosis
- Semi-inflated to bulbous polygonal osteoderms fused to nasal, frontal and supraorbital regions of skull
- Prominent quadratojugal protuberance directed anteroventrally
- Prominent post-maxillary/lacrimal ridge (osteoderm) unique to this taxon
Species
Nodocephalosaurus kirtlandensis Sullivan, 1999
Type species
Named for the Kirtland Formation of New Mexico, the geological formation from which the holotype was recovered.
- Holotype
- SMP VP-900 , State Museum of Pennsylvania
- Material
- Incomplete skull and cranial fragments
- Horizon
- De-na-zin Member, Kirtland Formation, Campanian, Late Cretaceous , 83.6–72.2 million years ago
- Locality
- SMP locality 319, west of Willow Wash, New Mexico, United States
References
- Sullivan, R. M. (1999). Nodocephalosaurus kirtlandensis, gen. et sp. nov., a new ankylosaurid dinosaur (Ornithischia: Ankylosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous Kirtland Formation (upper Campanian), San Juan Basin, New Mexico. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 19(1): 126-139. Informa UK Limited. doi:10.1080/02724634.1999.10011128 sullivan1999a
-
Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Ornithischians. Princeton University Press.
Source of the hip height estimate, and the appearance features.
jones2026a