SCIENCE LAB SCANARS : MONGOLIAN MARVEL [ 2 ]

Pachycephalosaurus, often called Pachys, appear throughout the '' Jurassic Park '' entertainment franchise.

But little is known about them. After the fossil was found, it was shipped to North Carolina State for years of meticulous scientific reconstruction.

'' The specimen is shockingly beautiful,'' Dr. Zanno said. '' The first time that we all saw it prepared it took our breath away.''

' That tells us that this dome structures was an incredibly important aspect of pachycephalosaurs  biology,'' Dr. Zanno said. '' The first time we saw it all prepared, it took our breath away.''

Analysis of the fossil suggests that the live animal met an untimely end while still a juvenile. It was about the size of a large cat.

Despite its youth, the dinosaur helmet head was surprisingly well-developed.

'' This tells us that this dome structure was an incredibly important aspect of pachycephalosaurus biology,''  Dr. Zanno said. '' It evolved very early in their history and then they just kept that strategy up through time.''

Although there is some debate on why pachycephalosaurus might have evolved with such thick skulls,  recent evidence suggests that the dinosaurs used them when butting heads with one another while competing for mates, much as bighorn sheep do.

While a lot was learned from studying this dinosaur's perfectly preserved skull, the rest of the body proved to be just as scientifically valuable.

'' Having such a complete skeleton behind the skull of this early pachycephalosaurus is a rare treasure trove,'' Dr. Evans said.

The World Students Society thanks Annie Roth.