Dracorex hogwartsia is now on display.

This 66-million-year-old, first-of-its-kind, dragon-like dinosaur has been named in honor of celebrated children’s book author J.K. Rowling.

Author J.K. Rowling recently wrote: “The naming of Dracorex hogwartsia is easily the most unexpected honour to have come my way since the publication of the Harry Potter books! I am absolutely thrilled to think that Hogwarts has made a small (claw?) mark upon the fascinating world of dinosaurs.”

The name Dracorex hogwartsia, from the Latin words draco (meaning dragon), rex (meaning king), and hogwartsia (after the fictional Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry created by J.K. Rowling).

The nearly complete skull was discovered by three friends; Steve Saulsbury, Patrick Saulsbury and Brian Buckmeier, all from Sioux City, Iowa.  They found it during a fossil collecting trip in South Dakota and donated it to The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.When it was brought to the museum’s Paleo Prep Lab for cleaning and studying, it was little more than a box of parts. It took two years to patiently glue together the many fragments and restore the skull.

Purchase the Official Dracorex hogwartsia T-Shirt and more.

This fossil helps us understand how discoveries of extinct animal fossils may have inspired people throughout history to believe that dragons once lived. Legends about dragons are common around the world, and dragons have held major significance in various religions and cultures.

Dracorex hogwartsia scientific description
Published in Bulletin 35 of the
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.
Illustrations © 2006 R.T. Bakker.