The Boss is Back

Pachyrhinosaurus canadensis has one of the most iconic, discussed, and debated nasal areas in all of paleontology. The nasal boss in these fossils is enormous, leading some to believe the rugose surface was a thickened butting surface and others to attest to its use as the base of an equally enormous horn. Whatever the case may be, the area of the horn is dense bone and makes the cranium of Pachyrhinosaurus look fearsome and ugly at the same time. How that face manages to fit into the helmet in August's calendar illustration is a bit of a wonder, but we can probably assume that the ovoid helmet would have to be gargantuan for a ceratopsian of this size. Either way, this is a dinosaur we have discussed once before but that does not mean there is not more information out there than we shared previously. Here is your August dino-naut illustration:

©Brynn Metheney