Albertaceratops

Name: Albertaceratops ‭(‬Alberta horned face‭)‬.
Phonetic: Al-ber-tah-seh-rah-tops.
Named By: Ryan‭ ‬-‭ ‬2007.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Ceratopsidae,‭ ‬Centrosaurinae.
Species: A.‭ ‬nesmoi‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Roughly up to 6‭ ‬meters long.
Known locations: Canada,‭ ‬Alberta‭ ‬-‭ ‬Oldman Formation.
Time period: Campanian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Single skull.




       The fact that Albertaceratops has large and well developed brow horns on what is in essence a centrosaurine skull has led to the thinking that Albertaceratops is a basal centrosaurine ceratopsian.‭ ‬Later members of the group would develop considerably reduced brow horns.‭ ‬Albertaceratops had no nasal horn but instead had a bony growth on top of its snout,‭ ‬similar to that of Pachyrhinosaurus.‭ ‬The top of the frill has two small horns that strongly curve out to the sides.‭ ‬Additional remains from Montana once thought to belong to Albertaceratops have now been named Medusaceratops.
       The type species name of Albertaceratops,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬nesmoi,‭ ‬is based upon the name Cecil Nesmo,‭ ‬a rancher who in the past has aided fossil hunters.‭

Further reading
- A new basal centrosaurine ceratopsid from the Oldman Formation, southeastern Alberta - Journal of Paleontology 81(2):376-396 - M. J. Ryan - 2007.



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