Dino card No. 1844 of 2,027

Turanoceratops

Say it: too-RAN-oh-SER-ah-tops

Name means: “Turan horned face”1

Ate: PlantsHorned dinosLate Cretaceous

Turanoceratops was a small, plant-eating dinosaur with a parrot-like beak and two long horns above its eyes. It lived in what is now Uzbekistan about 90 million years ago. Scientists think it was a close cousin of the famous horned dinosaurs like Triceratops.1 2

Lived

94 to 90 million years ago4

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Dzharakuduk, Navoi Viloyat, Uzbekistan1 3

Food

Plants1

Length

2 m1

estimate by Gregory S. Paul

Weight

175 kg1

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

as long as 4 house cats nose to tailas long as 11 bananas end to endas heavy as 6 big dogsas heavy as 35 watermelons

How big was Turanoceratops compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Turanoceratops had two long horns above its eyes, like the later ceratopsids, but it lacked a nose horn.2

Its teeth had two roots each, which is a more advanced feature than in earlier horned dinosaurs like Zuniceratops.2

Turanoceratops lived during the Turonian stage, about 90 million years ago, making it one of the oldest known ceratopsids or their close relatives.1 3

The first fossils of Turanoceratops were found in the 1920s by Soviet scientists, but it was not officially named until 1989.1

Some scientists think Turanoceratops was a true ceratopsid, which would make it the only one known from Asia. Others disagree and place it just outside the group.1 2

The name Turanoceratops means 'Turan horned face', after the ancient Persian name for the region where it was found.1

AI-made picture of Turanoceratops — An AI-made picture of how Turanoceratops 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 Turanoceratops

?How big was Turanoceratops?

Turanoceratops was a relatively small dinosaur. In 2010, Gregory S. Paul estimated its length at about 2 metres (6.6 ft) and its weight at 175 kilograms (386 lb).1

?What did Turanoceratops eat?

Turanoceratops was a herbivore, meaning it ate plants. It likely fed on ferns and conifers, using its sharp beak to bite off leaves or needles.1

?When did Turanoceratops live?

Turanoceratops lived during the late Cretaceous Period, about 90 million years ago, in the mid-late Turonian stage.1 4

?Was Turanoceratops a ceratopsid?

Scientists disagree. Some, like Sues and Averianov, think it was a true ceratopsid, which would make it the only one from Asia. Others, like Farke, think it was a close relative but not a true ceratopsid.1 2

Ask Rex about Turanoceratops

Rex only answers questions about this page. 3 questions a day.

Rex is an AI and can make mistakes. He runs on servers in the EU and questions are never saved. Never type your name or other personal things.

For dino experts

Scientific name: Turanoceratops
Named by: Nessov et al. 19894
Group: Horned dinos
Family / clade: Ceratopsoidea4
Classification: Ornithischia > Ceratopsia4
Age of the rocks: 94 to 90 million years (Turonian)4
Rock formations: Bissekty4
Countries: Uzbekistan4
Fossil records: 6 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Turanoceratops was named in 1989 by Lev Nesov and colleagues based on a damaged upper jaw bone found near Dzharakuduk, Uzbekistan. The species name 'tardabilis' means 'retarding' in Latin, referring to the slow research process.1
Still debated: Scientists still debate whether Turanoceratops was a true member of the Ceratopsidae family or just a close relative.1 2

Where the facts come from

Turanoceratops (en.wikipedia.org)
Turanoceratops tardabilis--the first ceratopsid dinosaur from Asia (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Turanoceratops 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.

Rex is hungry! Dino Wiki is a dad's project for his dino-loving son, free with no ads. Grown-ups can feed Rex a snack to help keep it online.Feed Rex