| Kosmoceratops | |
|---|---|
 Illustration of Kosmoceratops | |
| Vital statistics | |
| Scientific Name | Kosmoceratops richardsoni |
| Length | 5 metres |
| Height | |
| Weight | 2.5 tonnes |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Lived | 76 million years ago |
| Range | Northern USA |
Kosmoceratops ("ornate horned face") was a ceratopsian dinosaur from the Cretaceous period of Utah.
Description[]
Kosmoceratops is easily distinguished from other ceratopsians due to its especially ornate head. There are a total of 15 horns on the skull, the most of any known ceratopsian. Ten horns line the frill, eight of which hook forward over the edge. Its frill is also unusually short compared to its relatives.[1]
Classification[]
Kosmoceratops was a chasmosaurine ceratopsian, most closely related to the genus Vagaceratops.
Discovery[]
Kosmoceratops was discovered in the Kaiparowits Formation in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah. It was described in 2010 by Scott Sampson and colleagues along with two other ceratopsians from Utah and Alberta.[2]
Paleobiology[]
The Kaiparowits Formation contains many other dinosaur species, such as Parasaurolophus, Nasutoceratops, Hagryphus, and Talos. It is possible that large predators, such as Teratophoneus and Lythronax, preyed on Kosmoceratops.
References[]
- ↑ "Amazing Horned Dinosaurs Unearthed on 'Lost Continent'; New Discoveries Include Bizarre Beast With 15 Horns". ScienceDaily. 22 September 2010.
- ↑ Scott D. Sampson, Mark A. Loewen, Andrew A. Farke, Eric M. Roberts, Catherine A. Forster, Joshua A. Smith, Alan L. Titus (2010). "New Horned Dinosaurs from Utah Provide Evidence for Intracontinental Dinosaur Endemism". In Stepanova, Anna. PLoS ONE 5 (9): e12292. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0012292. PMC 2929175. PMID 20877459.