Drag to rotate the Pachyrhinosaurus, scroll or pinch to zoom, and click a body part - the frill, the nasal boss, or a leg - to read what fossils tell us about it. The panel beside the model carries the real figures.
Pachyrhinosaurus carried a solid bony frill at the back of its skull like its relative Triceratops, but instead of long brow horns it had a thick, flattened bony boss over the nose and a smaller one above the eyes - turn on the human figure to see how the whole animal compares to a person.
The colors and skin pattern here are an artistic reconstruction; fossils preserve bone, not soft tissue or color. The frill and boss proportions follow the fossil skeleton, but the measurements in the panel are the ones actually published.
Pachyrhinosaurus 3D Viewer
This page renders a Pachyrhinosaurus as a 3D model you can spin in the browser - drag to rotate, scroll or pinch to zoom, toggle a person beside it for scale, and click the frill, the nasal boss, or a leg to read a fact about that part.
Pachyrhinosaurus lived in the Late Cretaceous, roughly 73.5 to 71 million years ago, in what is now western North America. Unlike its relative Triceratops, it had no long brow horns - instead, thick, flattened bony bosses covered the nose and the area above the eyes, with small spikes along the frill margin in some individuals. Estimates vary by species and source; the commonly cited range for the type species, P. canadensis, puts adults at about 6 to 8 m long and roughly 3 to 4 metric tons.
The genus was named in 1950 by Canadian paleontologist Charles M. Sternberg, based on an incomplete skull (holotype NMC 8867) collected in 1945-1946 from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation in Alberta, Canada. A related species, P. lakustai, is known from a dense bonebed at Pipestone Creek, Alberta, first found by Al Lakusta in 1974; a 2024 excavation there uncovered one of the largest known Pachyrhinosaurus skulls, nicknamed "Big Sam", about 138 cm long with a 43 cm nasal boss.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Length | about 6-8 m (commonly cited range for P. canadensis) |
| Weight | about 3-4 metric tons (range across sources; some cite lower estimates around 1.8 t) |
| When it lived | 73.5-71 million years ago (Late Cretaceous, Campanian-Maastrichtian) |
| Diet | Herbivore |
Everything runs on your device with WebGL, so the model works without an account and without sending anything to a server. The skin tone and pattern are an artistic reconstruction, because fossils do not preserve color or soft tissue; the numbers above are real published values, with a range given where sources disagree.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big was a real Pachyrhinosaurus?
The commonly cited range for the type species, P. canadensis, is about 6-8 m long and roughly 3-4 metric tons, though some sources give lower weight estimates around 1.8 t. Turn on the human figure in the viewer to see the scale against a person.
Why does it not have horns like Triceratops?
Pachyrhinosaurus is a close relative of Triceratops, but instead of long brow horns it evolved thick, flattened bony bosses over the nose and above the eyes, with small spikes along the frill margin in some individuals. Paleontologists think the boss served a similar display or combat role to other ceratopsian horns.
Is the model scientifically accurate?
The frill, boss, and body proportions follow the fossil skeleton, but the skin color and texture are an artistic reconstruction - fossils preserve bone, not soft tissue or color. The length, weight, and age figures shown are real published values.
When and where did Pachyrhinosaurus live?
In the Late Cretaceous, roughly 73.5 to 71 million years ago, in what is now western North America. The genus was named in 1950 by Charles M. Sternberg from a skull collected in 1945-1946 in Alberta's Horseshoe Canyon Formation.
What was "Big Sam"?
Big Sam is the nickname for one of the largest known Pachyrhinosaurus skulls, belonging to the related species P. lakustai, uncovered during a 2024 excavation at the Pipestone Creek bonebed in Alberta. The skull measures about 138 cm long with a 43 cm nasal boss.
Do I need to install anything to view it?
No. The model renders in your browser with WebGL - no app, no account, and nothing about your visit is sent to a server. The 3D engine loads once and is then cached.