【2013 Archives】

Spoilers ahead013 Archives but they're very small, like Compsognathus.

Chris Pratt has the abs, smile, and square jaw. But the real hero of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is Stiggy the Stygimoloch.

Yes, the adorable dinosaur headbutted its way into our hearts by saving our heroes and kicking villain butt, and yes, Stygimolochwas a real creature.

SEE ALSO: More is more in 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'

The herbivore had a dome on its head, probably for defense against predators and battling each other for mates. Stygimoloch is also an excellent name for a metal band. (Itroughly translates to "Styx demon.")

Another reason Stygimolochwas so badass: It had big horns on its head, which were probably very useful for not getting eaten.

"If you're a T. rexthat wants to bite this guy's head off, you're going to do it with a certain amount of risk," said paleontologist Pete Larson, president of the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research.

It was relatively small, about 3 feet tall at the hip and 7 to 10 feet long. Discovered in North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, it lived alongside some of the greats — Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Ornithomimus, and Dakotaraptor — during the late Cretaceous Period. So late, in fact, that it was around during the extinction event that killed off the dinosaurs.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"When the asteroid hit, some of these guys were around to look up at the sky and say, 'Oh crap, what's that?'" joked Larson. (Luckily, Stiggy only had to deal with an active volcano.)

Some paleontologists, including Jack Horner, who served as an adviser to the Jurassic Parkfilms, have theorized Stygimolochwas just a juvenilePachycephalosaurus. Larson disagrees, claiming the number and orientation of their horns are too different.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

OK, get ready for a very minimal spoiler, if you can spoil a movie where a raptor jumps away from an explosion like Bruce Willis in Die Hard.

Remember that scene where Stiggy smashes through a brick wall and prison door to free Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard from their cell?

Via Giphy

It seemed pretty ludicrous. And it was, as far as plot goes. Buuut, actually, said Larson, it might be possible. The dinosaur's thick dome -- made of porous bone -- was a very good shock absorber, so a 200-pound Stygimoloch running full speed could have "potentially" broken down a brick wall. Still, scientists haven't studied the matter, so we can't know for sure.

Not that it should matter. I mean, compared to some other scenes in the movie, the Stiggy jailbreak was very realistic. (Let's not even talk about that blood transfusion.)

Larson said his colleagues often criticize the science in the Jurassic Parkand Jurassic Worldmovies. He doesn't take them so seriously.

"It's a movie," he said. "These things are genetically engineered, they're not necessarily what they were when they were living [in the Cretaceous Period]. Just enjoy it, have fun, and watch these dinosaurs move and do cool things."

Yeah, cool things like smash stuff. Long live Stiggy.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Jeff Goldblum is back in the amazing 'Jurassic World Evolution' video game

---

• Games
• Social Good
• Shopping
• Deals
• Entertainment
• Life
• Tech
• Digital Culture

• Scientists find supercolony of penguins on the remote Danger Islands
• The internet takes a fond look back at the Obama presidency
• Woman goes into labor and still takes time to vote before giving birth
• Twitter takes down Trump campaign video after Warner Bros. copyright claim
• NYT mini crossword answers for May 9, 2025
• Hate speech fills comments of YouTube livestream of House hearing on hate speech on YouTube
• Amazon Alexa adds detailed news reading option
• 20 #DogsAtPollingStations to get you through Election Day
• Turtle Beach Recon 50P gaming headset deal: 28% off
• 'The Crown' Season 4 reveals its Princess Diana: Photo

• Here's the app you need to make your iPhone photos look good enough for Tim Cook to share
• These jokes about the Queen's sex life got 100 complaints
• 14 dating app features that need to exist
• These football fans made the cutest gesture for kids visiting from the hospital
• 11 influential Hispanic activists you need to know
• David Hogg has plans to run for Congress when he’s 25
• Hillary Clinton sends off The Toast with a heartfelt note
• August needs more holidays, so here are some ideas
• Lady Gaga was pretty jazzed to get her driver's license
• Justin Trudeau makes historic Pride march in Toronto

• Dell S3422DWG Gaming Monitor deal: save $100 at Amazon
• Hate speech fills comments of YouTube livestream of House hearing on hate speech on YouTube
• Congress bars the IRS from ever offering free tax filing software
• Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman post sweet video to mark 10 years of 'Parks and Recreation'
• 44 GPU Fortnite Benchmark: The Best Graphics Cards for Playing Battle Royale
• 20 #DogsAtPollingStations to get you through Election Day
• The creators of 'The Office' love that Billie Eilish sampled the show in her song
• The case for Jon Snow to end up on the Iron Throne
• Amazon Book Sale: Shop early deals now
• FAFSA's saucy reply to a high schooler's luxurious prom video has students stressed

• The Story Behind the Home of Forgotten Video Games
• 5 people we think should play young Dumbledore in 'Fantastic Beasts'
• The one number that shows how many people will vote today
• Twitter vows to make itself less spammy with new policy change
• Is it 'Thunderbolts*' or *The New Avengers'?
• The case for Jon Snow to end up on the Iron Throne
• The case for Jon Snow to end up on the Iron Throne
• Facebook agrees it will be liable for future Cambrige Analyticas
• Best robot vacuum deal: Save $320 on Shark Robot Vacuum and Mop
• Samsung's Galaxy A80 has a slide