Agathaumas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Agathaumas |
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| Illustration of the vertebrae and sacrum | |
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Agathaumas
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sylvestris
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Agathaumas (pronounced "ag-uh-THAW-mas") means "great wonder" in Ancient Greek. It was a type of large, horned dinosaur called a ceratopsid. This dinosaur lived in what is now Wyoming during the Late Cretaceous period, about 66 million years ago.
When Agathaumas was first discovered, scientists thought it was the largest land animal known at that time. Today, many experts believe that Agathaumas might actually be the same dinosaur as Triceratops. This makes Agathaumas a "nomen dubium", which means its name is uncertain or doubtful. It was also related to another dinosaur called Ceratops.
Discovery and What We Know
The first bones of Agathaumas were found in 1872. They were discovered by a team working for the famous paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope. The bones were found in southwestern Wyoming.
What they found was not a complete skeleton. Instead, they found parts of a hip bone (sacrum), some tail bones (caudal vertebrae), and parts of leg bones. These bones were very large. This is why Cope thought it was such a "great wonder" and named it Agathaumas.
A Mystery Dinosaur?
Because only a few bones were found, it's hard for scientists to be sure about Agathaumas. When a dinosaur is called a "nomen dubium," it means there isn't enough clear evidence to give it its own unique name. The bones might belong to a dinosaur already known, like Triceratops.
Triceratops is a very well-known horned dinosaur that lived in the same area and time. The bones of Agathaumas are very similar to those of Triceratops. This is why many paleontologists think Agathaumas might just be an early discovery of Triceratops bones.
Images for kids
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Cope's 1890 sketch of Agathaumas as a ceratopsian based on Triceratops
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Agathaumas sphenocerus by Charles R. Knight, 1897
See also
In Spanish: Agathaumas sylvestris para niños
