Monoclonius facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Monoclonius
Artist's impression
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Superorder:	Dinosauria
Order:	Ornithischia
Suborder:	Marginocephalia
Infraorder:	Ceratopsia
Family:	Ceratopsidae
Genus:	Monoclonius Cope, 1876
Species
M. crassus Cope, 1876 (type)

This skeleton was once called "Monoclonius nasicornus". Today, scientists usually classify this material as Centrosaurus or Styracosaurus.

Monoclonius is the name of a ceratopsid dinosaur. It was a plant-eating dinosaur, also known as a herbivore. Monoclonius lived in North America during the Upper Cretaceous period. This was about 76 to 73 million years ago.

Discovery and Naming

The dinosaur Monoclonius was named by a scientist named Edward Drinker Cope in 1876. This happened soon after its first fossil was found in Montana. The fossil was almost a complete skeleton. Only the feet were missing. It also included parts of the skull and the base of its nose horn.

The name Monoclonius means "single stem." This name refers to its teeth, which had a single root.

A Puzzling Dinosaur

Today, Monoclonius is seen as a "doubtful name" (nominem dubium). This means scientists are not sure if it is a truly separate type of dinosaur. Many experts now think that Monoclonius might actually be a younger version of another dinosaur called Centrosaurus. It could be that the Monoclonius fossils are just young Centrosaurus dinosaurs.

Images for kids

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  M. crassus and M. sphenocerus holotypes

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  M. recurvicornis holotype

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  Restoration

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  M. lowei holotype

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  M. flexus holotype skull (now assigned to Centrosaurus apertus) with M. recurvicornis holotype in the foreground, AMNH

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  Agathaumas sphenocerus by Charles R. Knight, 1897

See also

In Spanish: Monoclonius crassus para niños