
Dinosaur profile
Archaeoceratops
Pronunciation
Ar-kay-oh-seh-rah-tops.
Ancient horned face
Ceratopsian
90cm long
Early Cretaceous
121-99 million years ago
China
DietHerbivore
About Archaeoceratops
Archaeoceratops is a genus of ceratopsid dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous Period, about 125-100 million years ago. It was a small to medium-sized herbivore, with an estimated length of about 5-6 feet and a weight of about 50-100 pounds. Archaeoceratops had a large, triangular head with a strong beak and a bony frill on the back of its skull. It also had a pair of short, curved horns on its frill, as well as a pair of short, curved horns on its snout. Archaeoceratops had a sturdy, quadrupedal build, with four sturdy legs and a long, heavy tail. Its body was probably covered in a layer of tough, scaly skin.
Archaeoceratops was discovered in China in the 1920s, and was named by paleontologists in 1922. It is considered a relatively primitive ceratopsid, and is thought to be closely related to other early ceratopsids such as Leptoceratops and Protoceratops. Archaeoceratops is known from a number of well-preserved fossil specimens, including several partial skeletons and skulls, which have helped paleontologists learn more about the anatomy and behavior of this dinosaur.
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