Nasutoceratops
Nasutoceratops was a horned dinosaur with a huge nose and long, curved horns above its eyes. It lived in what is now Utah, USA, about 75 million years ago. This plant-eater had a short snout and a big frill at the back of its head.1
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Fun facts
Nasutoceratops had an enormous nose area that made up about 75% of the length of its skull in front of its eyes.1
Its horns pointed outward and forward, then curved and twisted at the tips, unlike most other horned dinosaurs.1
The frill on its head was simple and wide in the middle, without the big holes or spikes seen in many relatives.1
It lived alongside other dinosaurs like the tyrannosaur Teratophoneus and the duck-billed Gryposaurus.1
Nasutoceratops is one of the few horned dinosaurs from the southern part of the ancient continent Laramidia.1
Its name honors Alan Titus, a paleontologist who helped with fossil discoveries in the monument.1
Most asked questions about Nasutoceratops
?How big was Nasutoceratops?
About 4.5 metres (14.8 feet) long and weighed around 1.5 tonnes (1.7 short tons). Its skull was about 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) long.2
?What did Nasutoceratops eat?
It was a plant-eater, like all ceratopsian dinosaurs. It used its beak to bite off leaves and other plants.2
?Why did Nasutoceratops have such long horns?
Scientists think the long, forward-curving horns may have been used for fighting or showing off, like modern cattle. They could have locked with an opponent's horns.2
?Where did Nasutoceratops live?
It lived in what is now southern Utah, USA, about 75 to 76 million years ago. That area was then part of an island continent called Laramidia.2
?When did Nasutoceratops live?
It lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 76 to 75.5 million years ago.2
?Did Nasutoceratops have feathers?
No, the sources do not mention feathers. Skin impressions were found on its arm, but they have not been described as having feathers.2
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Myth buster
Myth: Nasutoceratops had a horn on its nose like Triceratops.
Truth: Nasutoceratops had a low, ridge-like bump on its nose, not a tall horn.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Nasutoceratops
- Named by
- Sampson et al. 20133
- Group
- Horned dinos
- Family / clade
- Ceratopsidae3
- Classification
- Ornithischia > Ceratopsia > Ceratopsidae3
- Age of the rocks
- 84 to 72 million years (Campanian)3
- Rock formations
- Kaiparowits3
- Countries
- USA3
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Nasutoceratops was named in 2013 by Scott Sampson and colleagues. The first fossil, a nearly complete skull and partial skeleton, was found in 2006 in southern Utah.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure why Nasutoceratops had such a big nose. It might have been for smelling, making sounds, or attracting mates.1
Where the facts come from
- A remarkable short-snouted horned dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (late Campanian) of southern Laramidia (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Nasutoceratops (en.wikipedia.org)
- Nasutoceratops in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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