Zavacephale rinpoche is the oldest known pachycephalosaur, dating to roughly 108 million years ago.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by peer-reviewed Nature publication and corroborated by multiple independent science journalism sources and the corresponding author's institutional press release, all consistent on age (~108 million years) and status as oldest known pachycephalosaur. [tier=gold indep_score=0.87 clusters=5 claim_tier=notable]
Sources
- Dome-headed dinosaurs are rare. Scientists just found the most ... (seed:science_and_space)
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09213-6 (corroboration)
- https://news.ncsu.edu/2025/09/teen-pachycephalosaur-butts-into-fossil-record/ (corroboration)
- https://www.sci.news/paleontology/zavacephale-rinpoche-14223.html (corroboration)
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/oldest-known-pachycephalosaur-fossil-discovered-in-mongolia/ (corroboration)
- https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2025/september/new-dome-headed-dinosaur-most-complete-ever-found.html (corroboration)