The University of Alberta study used computer software to confirm dome-headed dinosaurs called pachycephalosaurs could smash each other with their heads and suffer no serious injuries.

Eric Snively, an Alberta Ingenuity fellow, and colleagues used computer simulations to show how the dinosaurs of between 65 million and 80 million years ago might have survived such head-to-head combat. Such dinosaurs were native to Canada, the United States and Mongolia.

"Pachycephalosaur domes (nearly 8 inches thick) are unique and we can't yet tell for certain if they butted heads, but we can test their capabilities for the behavior with math and physics," said Snively.

The researchers found the key to safe collisions wasn't only in the domes but also behind them in the body. Special sliding joints in vertebrae of pachycephalosaurs allowed their backbones to buckle from collisions and then spring back into position.

The findings of the research that included Andrew Cox of Villanova University appear in the journal Palaeontologica Electronica.