Cranidos is a gray, dinosaur-like Pokémon resembling the Pachycephalosaurus. It has a hooked beak, red irises, and a hard, blue, dome-shaped head with four spikes on its back. The hard skull is considered to be Cranidos's most distinguishing feature. It has stubby arms with three claws; despite the stubbiness, it can attack with them. The back half of its body has a large, spiky pattern of blue and it has a short tail. It has feet with three forward claws and one backward.
Its main attacking prowess involves charging head-first into its opponents. When it lived in dense forests and jungles 100 million years ago, it would use headbutts to snap obstructing trees, down its prey, and combat Pokémon like Aerodactyl and even other Cranidos. The resulting sound of two Cranidos headbutting echoes throughout the area like the sound of the pealing of a bell. It notably lacks any intelligence. Cranidos are considered to be a rare sight to encounter. The fossilized trunks of trees snapped in two are also often found near the fossilized rock layers of Cranidos fossils. It was brought back to life through Skull Fossil. In modern times, Cranidos can be found at the Canyon Biome located at the Terarium.
A Cranidos is owned by Roark, which he sends out against Platinum in her Gym match. He seems to be one of the first Pokémon that he owned, having been hatched from an Egg long ago. He later evolved to Rampardos around the three Sinnoh Trainers' arrival on Canalave City. He first appeared in Putting a Crimp in Kricketot.
An incredibly rare sight. They duel each other by ramming their heads together, and the resulting sound echoes throughout the area like the pealing of a bell.