Yamaceratops
Yamaceratops was a tiny, plant-eating dinosaur that walked on two legs. It lived in what is now Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous period. This little dinosaur had a small frill on its head, but scientists think it didn't use it for showing off.12
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Fun facts
Yamaceratops was about as long as a cat, only 50 cm (1.6 ft) from nose to tail.1
A juvenile Yamaceratops was found that was about three years old and weighed only 1.2 kg (2.6 lb).1
Its name comes from Yama, a Tibetan Buddhist god, and 'ceratops' meaning horned face.1
Yamaceratops had long hind legs, which means it probably ran on two feet.1
The frill on its head was not for display, unlike later horned dinosaurs. Scientists think it may have been used for something else.2
It lived during the Late Cretaceous, about 85 to 72 million years ago.3
Most asked questions about Yamaceratops
?How big was Yamaceratops?
Yamaceratops was very small, about 50 cm long and weighed around 2 kg. That is about the size of a cat.1
?What did Yamaceratops eat?
Yamaceratops was a plant-eating dinosaur. It ate plants.1
?When did Yamaceratops live?
Yamaceratops lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 85 to 72 million years ago, in what is now Mongolia.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Some people think all horned dinosaurs had big frills for display.
Truth: Yamaceratops had a small frill that scientists think was not used for showing off, suggesting frills evolved for other reasons first.2
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Yamaceratops
- Named by
- Makovicky and Norell 20065
- Group
- Horned dinos
- Family / clade
- Neoceratopsia5
- Classification
- Ornithischia > Ceratopsia5
- Age of the rocks
- 86 to 72 million years (Santonian / Campanian)5
- Rock formations
- Javkhlant5
- Countries
- Mongolia5
- Fossil records
- 2 in the Paleobiology Database5
- Discovery
- Yamaceratops was named in 2006 by P. J. Makovicky and M. A. Norell. The first fossils were found in the Javkhlant Formation of Mongolia.13
- Still debated
- Scientists are still debating exactly where Yamaceratops sits on the family tree of horned dinosaurs, and whether its frill had a special function.2
Where the facts come from
- Yamaceratops (en.wikipedia.org)
- Yamaceratops dorngobiensis, a new primitive ceratopsian (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) from the Cretaceous of Mongolia ; American Museum novitates, no. 3530 (digitallibrary.amnh.org)
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- A new juvenile Yamaceratops (Dinosauria, Ceratopsia) from the Javkhlant Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Mongolia (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Yamaceratops in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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