The Pachycephalosaurus (aka "thick headed lizard") skull. Photo: Courtesy James D. Tiller and Phillip R. Lee
An extremely rare dinosaur skull will go on display at the Natural History Museum on Monday — for one week only.
Why it matters: Pachycephalosaurus fossils are usually fragmented, but this skull is complete — teeth to dome — giving the clearest picture of the "thick-headed lizard" yet.
State of play: The skull of the dinosaur, which lived 67 million years ago, was unearthed in South Dakota last year. It goes on temporary display Dec. 22–28, in the museum's FossiLab (closed Christmas).
It'll eventually join the permanent "Hall of Fossils" exhibit.
Between the lines: "Jurassic Park" fans may remember the dome-skulled dinos ramming heads in the movie sequel (which may not be 100% accurate).
Smithsonian scientists say this complete skull will help crack long-running debates about the species.
Fun fact: The skull sold for $1.7 million at auction — to former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, who donated it to the Smithsonian.
