3 euro Austria 2022 - Pachycephalosaurus

Exceptionally curved and with short, blunt spines protruding along its edge, the skull of pachycephalosaurs was unique among dinosaurs. Towards the front, it narrowed into a small, gnarled beak, and the eyes faced forwards, meaning that the dinosaur could see stereoscopically, like us humans, in three dimensions. Scientists disagree on the function of the skull. The first and most popular theory interprets it as a weapon to be used in intra-species combat, although this is disputed. Another theory assumes that the skull served as an individual recognition feature and exerted a signaling effect on conspecifics through its shape and color. This idea is supported by the fact that there was probably sexual dimorphism in thick-skinned dinosaurs; i .e. males had larger, taller skull roofs than females. The flatter skulls found show no injuries,

Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis features the 12 extreme prehistoric animals of the Supersaurs series in silhouette on its obverse. The obverse features a color-printed Pachycephalosaurus threatened by a predatory Allosaurus in a prehistoric landscape. All 3 euro coins in the series are legal tender in Austria.