Agujaceratops facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Agujaceratops |
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| Skeletal restoration | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | †Ornithischia |
| Family: | †Ceratopsidae |
| Subfamily: | †Chasmosaurinae |
| Genus: | †Agujaceratops Lucas, Sullivan & Hunt, 2006 |
| Type species | |
| †Agujaceratops mariscalensis (Lehman, 1989)
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| Species | |
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Agujaceratops was a type of plant-eating, horned dinosaur. Its name means "horned face from Aguja," which refers to the Aguja Formation in Texas, USA, where its fossils were found. This dinosaur belonged to a group called ceratopsids, known for their large frills and horns.
Scientists have found two different species of Agujaceratops: A. mariscalensis and A. mavericus. Both were discovered in Texas. These dinosaurs lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 77 million years ago.
Contents
Discovering Agujaceratops
The first bones of Agujaceratops were found a long time ago.
Finding the First Species
The first species, Agujaceratops mariscalensis, was discovered in 1938. A scientist named William Strain found three places filled with dinosaur bones. These places are called bonebeds.
After the bones were found, scientists studied them carefully. It took many years for them to fully understand the fossils. Finally, in 1989, this new dinosaur was officially named Agujaceratops mariscalensis.
Identifying the Second Species
Much later, in 2016, another species of Agujaceratops was identified. This second species was named Agujaceratops mavericus. Scientists studied its bones and gave it its own name, adding to what we know about this horned dinosaur family.
Images for kids
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A drawing showing what Agujaceratops mariscalensis might have looked like when it was alive.
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This picture compares the size of Agujaceratops mariscalensis to a human.
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A model of a young Agujaceratops skeleton, made by Triebold Paleontology.
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A close-up of a brow horn from Agujaceratops mariscalensis.
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This shows a squamosal bone from Agujaceratops mariscalensis, which is part of its skull frill.
See also
In Spanish: Agujaceratops para niños
