Sinoceratops

genus of reptiles (fossil)

Sinoceratops was a very large ceratopsian dinosaur. Its name means 'horned face from China'. The dinosaur used to live in what is now China during the Upper Cretaceous. The head of a full-grown Sinoceratops was probably about 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) long.

Sinoceratops
Temporal range:
Upper Cretaceous, fossil range 73.5 mya
Reconstructed skeleton
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Order: Ornithischia
Family: Ceratopsidae
Subfamily: Centrosaurinae
Genus: Sinoceratops
Xu et al., 2010
Type species
Sinoceratops zhuchengensis
Xu et al., 2010

It was the first ceratopsid dinosaur found in China. All other centrosaurines are from fossils found in North America. Sinoceratops is one of the largest known centrosaurines. It is much larger than any other known basal member of the group.

Size comparison

Sinoceratops was a ceratopsian ornithischian, with an estimated length of about 6 metres (19.7 ft), weight of 2 tonnes (2.0 long tons; 2.2 short tons), and height of about 2 metres (6.6 ft).[1]

Sinoceratops is a member of the short-frilled ceratopsids, the Centrosaurinae. The holotype specimen is of a partial skull with most of the skull roof and partial braincase. The skull of Sinoceratops was about 180 cm (5.9 ft) long. It is one of the largest known centrosaur skulls.

Restoration

References

change
  1. "Saurian Database – Sinoceratops". Gabel Informations Technologie. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.