Anchiceratops
Name:
Anchiceratops
(Near horned face).
Phonetic: An-chi-seh-ra-tops.
Named By: Barnum Brown - 1914.
Synonyms: Anchiceratops longirostris.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Dionsauria,
Ornithischia, Ceratopsia, Ceratopsidae, Chasmosaurinae.
Species: A. ornatus (type).
Type: Herbivore.
Size: 6 meters long.
Known locations: Canada, Alberta - Horseshoe
Canyon Formation, Dinosaur Park Formation. USA, Wyoming Almond
Formation.
Time period: Campanian to early Maastrichtian of the
Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Usually only the skull and
skull fragments, some partial post cranial material including an
almost complete spine has also been found.
Studies
of fossil sites where Anchiceratops remains have
been found have
revealed that Anchiceratops lived around
estuaries. This may explain
why Anchiceratopsremains are rare when compared to
the remains of
other ceratopsians known to live on open plains. As a chasmosaurine
ceratopsian, Anchiceratops had a large neck frill
surrounded with
bony triangular projections, but moderate brow horns, and a reduced
nasal horn. As in other ceratopsians, Anchiceratops
is known mainly
from skull material, although the spine and possibly other
fragmentary skeletal material is known.
There
was once another species of Anchiceratops named A.
longirostris which
was based upon the fact that the snout is longer with horns that curve
forwards as opposed to the upwards pointing horns of A.
ornatus.
Later study and comparison with other material has since revealed that
these differences are not down to different species but different
sexes. With this male Anchiceratops are thought
to have longer brow
horns that point upwards, while females have shorter brow horns that
point forwards. Males also seem to have shorter snouts than the
females and combined with their longer horns this is probably to make
it easier for males to fight one another with their horns during
dominance contests.
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