Why fight with your head when you can fight with your feet?

[suspsy]

Very interesting! That would help explain the long tails.

https://www.livescience.com/pachycephalosaur-dinosaurs-kickboxed-like-kangaroos?fbclid=IwAR2qb6VE1kzaDaaH7gvHj1a6l35kvS2nR4C_lWkQsbC8gjktUBuPqPxk_9U

[CityRaptor]

Guess the various japanese media depicting them as boxers were up to something. There were probably still headbutts involved.

[andrewsaurus rex]

Very interesting but it doesn't really explain why Pachy would have a super thick skull if it kick boxed and it doesn't explain the injuries noted on the tops of  skulls of Pachy's, which have been interpreted as damage from head butting.  And two round heads pushing against each other, like Sumos, is even less likely than ramming, as the round shape would slip off the opposing round skull almost immediately, making the contest rather pointless.....at least with a ramming you could do some damage to your opponent with a split second glancing impact, but not with a split second push.

Perhaps Pachy's could have kick boxed each other and rammed predators (eg in the ribs).

[GojiraGuy1954]

Why does it have to be mutually exclusive

[Faelrin]

@GojiraGuy1954 That's what I'm wondering as well. There's certainly evidence to suggest they used their heads in some way, and if this holds up, then this will be evidence to show they did this as well. All in all pachycephalosaurs are certainly an interesting group of animals, despite most being pretty fragmentary. What we do have does show they are pretty unique among Dinosauria though.

[stargatedalek]

Or, heads intraspecifically, and kicks against predators.

[Shane]

It's interesting that the article says the conclusion was reached after analysis of a "well preserved" skeleton of P. wyomingensis.

I was under the impression that only skull material was known from Pachycephalosaurus proper, and that the rest of its anatomy is speculated from other pachycephalosaur remains.

[Dinoguy2]

It's interesting that the article says the conclusion was reached after analysis of a "well preserved" skeleton of P. wyomingensis.

I was under the impression that only skull material was known from Pachycephalosaurus proper, and that the rest of its anatomy is speculated from other pachycephalosaur remains.

Tom Holtz implied on FB that there is a new specimen used in this study.

[andrewsaurus rex]

Or, heads intraspecifically, and kicks against predators.

Potentially.  I said it the other way around just because ramming domed heads together has long been considered impractical.  Head butting would better explain the observed skull damage, though.

A complete skeleton makes this all the more interesting.

So, is the implication with the kangaroo comparison that Pachy kicked with both feet at once?  Ostriches and Cassowaries kick too, which would intuitively seem the more likely way Pachycephalosaurus would kick.......what are their spines like?

[Halichoeres]

I was looking for a paper, but I guess this is just an SVP presentation. It does seem like the kickboxing angle kind of buries the lede; a reasonably complete postcranium is the real news.

[Concavenator]

@Halichoeres Absolutely. Very happy to learn that more Pachycephalosaurus remains have been found! IIRC it's only known from skull material, so it's great that we will soon be having a more complete image of such an iconic dinosaur. Looking forward to see the skeletal. I imagine that will also help clarify whether or not the so called Dracorex and Stygimoloch are juvenile P.wyomingensis individuals after all or if they're their own thing.