Dino card No. 0569 of 2,027

Einiosaurus

Say it: eye-KNEE-oh-SORE-us

Name means: “bison lizard”1

Ate: PlantsHorned dinosLate Cretaceous

Einiosaurus was a horned dinosaur that lived in Montana about 74 million years ago. It had a long, forward-curving horn on its nose and a big frill on its head. This dinosaur walked on all fours and ate plants.1 2

Lived

84 to 72 million years ago4

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Montana, USA1 4

Food

Plants1 4

Length

4.5 to 6 m1 2

estimates vary

Weight

1.3 tonnes1

Height

1.5 m3

at the shoulders (withers)

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How tall was it?

at the shoulders (withers)

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 43 big dogs

as long as 6 dogs nose to tailas long as 33 bananas end to endas heavy as 260 watermelonsup to the handle of a door

How big was Einiosaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

The name Einiosaurus comes from the Blackfeet word for bison, because these dinosaurs may have lived in herds like bison do today.1

At least fifteen Einiosaurus individuals of different ages have been found together in two bonebeds. Scientists think they died in a drought or flood.1

The nasal horn of Einiosaurus curves forward over the nose, which is why its species name means 'with a forward-curving horn'.1

Einiosaurus had a pair of large, curved spikes sticking out from the back of its skull frill.1

All known Einiosaurus fossils are kept at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana.1

Einiosaurus lived in a warm, semiarid climate with a long dry season and a short wet season.1

AI-made picture of Einiosaurus — An AI-made picture of how Einiosaurus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Einiosaurus

?How big was Einiosaurus?

About 4.5 metres (15 feet) long and weighed around 1.3 tonnes (1.4 short tons). That is about as long as a car.1

?What did Einiosaurus eat?

It ate plants. It was a herbivore that fed on low-growing vegetation, probably no taller than 1 metre (3.5 feet).1

?Did Einiosaurus live in herds?

Yes. Scientists think Einiosaurus lived in herds, like bison do today, because many skeletons of different ages were found together in bonebeds.1

?When did Einiosaurus live?

It lived during the Late Cretaceous Period, about 74 million years ago.1 2

?Where was Einiosaurus found?

All Einiosaurus fossils have been found in Montana, USA, on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.1

?Why did Einiosaurus have a curved horn?

The forward-curving horn on its nose may have been used for display or fighting. Its species name 'procurvicornis' means 'with a forward-curving horn'.1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Einiosaurus
Named by: Sampson 19944
Group: Horned dinos
Family / clade: Ceratopsidae4
Classification: Ornithischia > Ceratopsia > Ceratopsidae4
Age of the rocks: 84 to 72 million years (Campanian)4
Rock formations: Two Medicine4
Countries: USA4
Fossil records: 3 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Jack Horner discovered the first Einiosaurus fossils in 1985 in Montana. The dinosaur was named by Scott Sampson in 1994.1
Still debated: Scientists debate whether Einiosaurus is a separate genus or should be placed in the genus Centrosaurus.1

Where the facts come from

Einiosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Einiosaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Einiosaurus — size, diet & habitat | DinoLifePedia (dinolifepedia.com)
Einiosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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