#chasmosaurine

[quark-nova]

I love how these are still very small triceratops. Like, adult Triceratops was stupidly huge compared to other ceratopsians. Three meters tall, and heavier than an elephant (that's three centrosaurs, four rhinos or six bulls).

The Farmer’s Daughter by Victor Adame

[alphynix]

Lokiceratops rangiformis was a ceratopsian dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous (~78 million years ago) in what is now Montana, USA. Estimated at about 6.7m long (~22ft), it was one of the largest known members of the centrosaurine branch of the ceratopsians.

It had a unique arrangement of ornamentation on its skull, with no nose horn, two long brow horns, and a pair of huge asymmetrical curving blade-like spikes on the top of its square frill – some of the largest known frill spikes of any ceratopsian.

It lived in a swampy environment near the shore of the Western Interior Seaway, in an area that seems to have had an unusually high diversity of ceratopsians – along with Lokiceratops there were three other centrosaurines (Medusaceratops, Albertaceratops, and Wendiceratops), and one chasmosaurine (Judiceratops).

(There's also a possibility that it might not actually be a unique species. We know some other ceratopsians' faces changed quite drastically as they aged, so Lokiceratops could instead represent a fully mature individual of Medusaceratops.)

———

NixIllustration.com | Tumblr | Patreon

References:

Gramling, Carolyn. "Meet Lokiceratops, a newly discovered species of horned dinosaur." Science News, 20 June 2024, https://www.sciencenews.org/article/lokiceratops-new-species-horned-dinosaur

Loewen, Mark A., et al. "Lokiceratops rangiformis gen. et sp. nov.(Ceratopsidae: Centrosaurinae) from the Campanian Judith River Formation of Montana reveals rapid regional radiations and extreme endemism within centrosaurine dinosaurs." PeerJ 12 (2024): e17224. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17224

Molinek, Rudy. “Dinosaur with Giant, Loki-like Horns Has the ‘craziest, Coolest’ Headgear-and Could Be a New Species.” Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2024, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dinosaur-with-giant-loki-like-horns-has-the-craziest-coolest-headgear-and-could-be-a-new-species-180984577/

Wikipedia contributors. “Lokiceratops.” Wikipedia, 1 Jul. 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lokiceratops

[alex-fictus]

Chasmosaurine Ceratopsians!

Torosaurus - Triceratops Chasmosaurus Pentaceratops - Arrhinoceratops

Stickers || Phone Wallpapers Masterlist

Planned or in the works: Achelousaurus

[saritapaleo]

Archovember 2024 Day 9 - Spiclypeus shipporum

Spiclypeus shipporum was a large chasmosaurine ceratopsian from Late Cretaceous Montana, USA. It is only known from one specimen (a partial skull, vertebrae, ribs, a left humerus, a left ilium and the left hindlimb) nicknamed “Judith” after the Judith River Formation. But this specimen is very unique, with brow horns that swept out to the side and two epiparietals (frill horns) fused and curling down over its frill. Judith appeared to also have sustained an infection in their frill, hypothesised to have come from an injury inflicted by a rival Spiclypeus, where the rival’s brow horns pierced into the bone of Judith’s frill. They also had a more serious infection in their humerus, with a large abscess, as well as evidence of arthritis. Judith was an adult, at least 10 years old, and it’s suspected that they had reach an advanced age before dying, despite their injuries. They were a testament to the rough life of combat and survival ceratopsians faced, and their resilience in spite of it all.

Spiclypeus lived in the Judith River Formation during the Late Campanian. It would have lived on a coastal floodplain criss-crossed by rivers and oxbow lakes. It may have lived alongside other ceratopsians, but there is a hypothesis that Spiclypeus, Ceratops montanus, and Pentaceratops aquilonius may all be the same species, however, so far their remains are too fragmentary to form a conclusion. It would have also shared space with the hadrosaur Corythosaurus, the ankylosaurs Edmontonia and Zuul, and the pachycephalosaur Hanssuesia. Theropods included the dromaeosaurs Dromaeosaurus and Saurornitholestes, the avialan Hesperornis altus, and the tyrannosaurid apex predators Daspletosaurus and Gorgosaurus. Other reptiles included lizards, turtles, the choristodere Champsosaurus, and the alligatoroids Leidyosuchus and Deinosuchus.

This art may be used for educational purposes, with credit, but please contact me first for permission before using my art. I would like to know where and how it is being used. If you don’t have something to add that was not already addressed in this caption, please do not repost this art. Thank you!

[tricornonthecob]

Its moments like these that make me thrilled I'm a centrosaurine fan.

[makairodonx]

A quick sketch-portrait I’ve made of Vagaceratops irvinensis, a chasmosaurine ceratopsian hailing from the Campanian Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, Canada.

[adamworks]

Day 14 - Bisticeratops, described in 2022 it’s a is a genus of chasmosaurine ceratopsians from the Late Cretaceous

[unexpecteddinolesson]

Utahceratops

Utahceratops is a ceratopsian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of what is now Utah. It was a large-sized, robustly-built quadrupedal herbivore that could grow up to an estimated 5–7 m long. Utahceratops can be distinguished by the nasal horn’s placement, almost entirely behind external naris. The horns above the eyes are short and robust with a blunt tip. Typical of a chasmosaurine ceratopsian, Utahceratops had a large frill projecting from the back of its head.

[mesozoicmarket]

A rooted dinosaur tooth of a triceratopsin, a Triceratops sp. or Torosaurus latus from the Hell Creek Formation in Powder River County, Montana, United States. Teeth of these chasmosaurine ceratopsids are unfortunately indistinguishable. Derived ceratopsians are known for their double root while more early diverging species like Leptoceratops gracilis only have one; in this specimen, the second root had been broken off. There are currently 3 or 4 triceratopsins described, Triceratops horridus, Triceratops prorsus, Torosaurus latus, and the possibly dubious Tatankaceratops sacrisonorum.

[ildarotyrannus]

A relatively quick portrait of Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis from the Campanian-early Maastrichtian of the Hall Lake Formation in New Mexico. The dinosaur is described by partial jaw and skull fragments, as well as isolated teeth and chevrons. Initially, some of these bones were described as belonging to T. rex. T. mcraeensis, according to the team of paleontologists who described it, is characterized by a number of subtle differences from the type species in individual bones, including the shape of the postorbital protuberance, as well as teeth with thick tips, like those of the Asian Tarbosaurus. This dinosaur reached the same large size as the later T. rex. Its specific name refers to a sequence of rock layers called the "MacRae group" from which the bones were extracted. The animal belongs to a faunal complex that includes the large chasmosaurine Sierraceratops, the large hadrosaur and the titanosaur (probably Alamosaurus). The description of T. mcraeensis shows that North American tyrannosaurs became giants in the south of Laramidia, and then spread northward. It is worth noting that some paleontologists have been critical of the new taxon. For example, Thomas Carr points out that the differences are too small and one specimen is clearly not enough to distinguish the species. Anyway, I decided that the dinosaur deserves an image. Adobe Photoshop, 2024.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Round Three: Changmiania vs Bisticeratops

Changmiania liaoningensis

Artwork by @i-draws-dinosaurs, written by @zygodactylus

Name Meaning: Eternal Sleeper from Liaoning

Time: 125.755 million years ago (Barremian stage of the Early Cretaceous) 

Location: Lujiatun Beds, Yixian Formation, Liaoning, China 

Changmiania is a gorgeously preserved ornithopod known from the earliest time of the famed Yixian Formation, adding it to the ranks of amazing fossils known from this unique preservational environment. The multiple specimens of this species are found in sleeping poses, curled up on the ground with their legs and arms tucked up against them. This indicates they had been buried alive, possibly inside their own burrows. Given the depositional environment of Yixian is a sort of prehistoric Pompeii, with many dinosaurs covered very quickly in ash and dust from an exploding volcano, this makes a certain degree of sense - perhaps the two little dinosaurs had scurried into their burrow to escape the oncoming tragedy (sorry if I just made you sad), or had been asleep and unaware of the oncoming danger. At only one meter long and less than half a meter tall, Changmiania would have been easily missed in its environment, hiding among the dense vegetation from potential predators. With robust leg bones, it would have been a fast runner, able to move efficiently through the crowded undergrowth. It had a weirdly short neck for ornithischians, and that combined with its short forearms and hands indicates it was fossorial - ie, a digging animal, hence its burrow home and final resting place. Given they were found together, they were probably social creatures as well, living in small family groups. The Yixian was a dense temperate forest, filled with freshwater lakes and a great diversity of plantlife. Conifers, ferns, cycads, horsetails, and early flowering plants filled the environment and indicated a humid, possibly rainforest environment. Periodic wildfires, noxious lake gasses, and volcanic eruptions all lead to regular moments of rapid burial and amazing preservation in this environment - essentially giving us snapshots of how it changed over the course of many millions of years. In the Lujiatun bed specifically, Changmiania was neighbors with Euhelopus, Jeholosaurus, Liaoceratops, Psittacosaurus, Liaoningornis, Daliansaurus, Graciliraptor, Mei, Sinovenator, Sinusonasus, Dilong, Hexing, Incisivosaurus, Shenzhousaurus, and outside of dinosaurs mammals such as Acristatherium, Gobiconodon, Juchilestes, Maotherium, Meemannodon, and Repenomamus (yes, THAT Repenomamus), and the toad Liaobatrachus. 

Bisticeratops froeseorum

Artwork by sauriazoicillus, written by @zygodactylus

Name Meaning: Froese’s Dééł Náázíní Horned Face 

Time: 74 million years ago (Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous) 

Location: Farmington Member, Kirtland Formation, New Mexico, United States 

Bisticeratops is an early Chasmosaurine, known from a partial skull found in the Kirtland Formation. Yet another of a largely growing number of Chasmosaurine taxa from the Campanian of North America, it appeared to resemble Pentaceratops, but was more closely related to later ceratopsians known from the Kirtland formation, as well as one unnamed taxon from the Almond Formation in Wyoming. Interestingly, Bisticeratops shows signs of bite marks from tyrannosaurids, which apparently had begun to heal prior to death. However, we do not know which tyrannosaurid may have left these marks - while the Kirtland Formation is a well studied environment, the Farmington Member has never yielded dinosaurian fossils before now, taking place earlier than the more famous De-Na-Zin of the formation. Like other iterations, the Kirtland was a coastal plain along the western interior seaway, preserving a muddy and sandy environment that would have been filled with a variety of subtropical plants. It is presumable that other dinosaurs lived here besides Bisticeratops and a tyrannosaurid - hadrosaurs, ankylosaurs, pachycephalosaurs, ornithomimosaurs, and dromaeosaurs would all have been possible members of this ecosystem based on the following and preceding ones from this formation.

[newlabdakos]

Triceratops

(temporal range: 68-66 mio. years ago)

[text from the Wikipedia article, see also link above]

Triceratops (/traɪˈsɛrətɒps/ try-SERR-ə-tops;[1] lit. 'three-horned face') is a genus of chasmosaurine ceratopsian dinosaur that lived during the late Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous period, about 68 to 66 million years ago in what is now western North America. It was one of the last-known non-avian dinosaurs and lived until the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event 66 million years ago. The name Triceratops, which literally means 'three-horned face', is derived from the Greek words trí- (τρί-) meaning 'three', kéras (κέρας) meaning 'horn', and ṓps (ὤψ) meaning 'face'.

Bearing a large bony frill, three horns on the skull, and a large, four-legged body, exhibiting convergent evolution with bovines and rhinoceroses, Triceratops is one of the most recognizable of all dinosaurs and the most well-known ceratopsian. It was also one of the largest, up to 8–9 metres (26–30 ft) long and 5–9 metric tons (5.5–9.9 short tons) in body mass. It shared the landscape with and was most likely preyed upon by Tyrannosaurus, though it is less certain that two adults would battle in the fanciful manner often depicted in museum displays and popular media. The functions of the frills and three distinctive facial horns on its head have long inspired countless debates. Traditionally, these have been viewed as defensive weapons against predators. More recent interpretations find it probable that these features were primarily used in species identification, courtship, and dominance display, much like the antlers and horns of modern ungulates.

Triceratops was traditionally placed within the "short-frilled" ceratopsids, but modern cladistic studies show it to be a member of Chasmosaurinae, which usually have long frills. Two species, T. horridus and T. prorsus, are considered valid today. Seventeen different species, however, have been named throughout history. Research published in 2010 concluded that the contemporaneous Torosaurus, a ceratopsid long regarded as a separate genus, represents Triceratops in its mature form. This view has still been highly disputed and much more data is needed to settle this ongoing debate.

Triceratops has been documented by numerous remains collected since the genus was first described in 1889 by American paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh. Specimens representing life stages from hatchling to adult have been found. As the archetypal ceratopsian, Triceratops is one of the most beloved, popular dinosaurs and has been featured in numerous films, postage stamps, and many other types of media.

[werewolftits]

triceratops was a genus of herbivorous chasmosaurine dinosaur that first appeared during the maastrichtian stage of the late cretaceous period in what is now north america

my interaction with david crosby. morning ruined

[alex-fictus]

All of my Ceratopsians! I've got them somewhat grouped by types, though I definitely need more early Ceratopsians or miscellaneous ones outside the family Ceratopsidae.

Yinlong - Gryphoceratops - Psittacosaurus

Protoceratops - Centrosaurus - Nasutoceratops

Styracosaurus - Sinoceratops - Medusaceratops

Pachyrhinosaurus - Diabloceratops - Chasmosaurus

Arrhinoceratops - Torosaurus - Pentaceratops

Triceratops

Italic: Outside the family Ceratopsidae. Bold: Centrosaurine Ceratopsians Underlined: Chasmosaurine Ceratopsians

Ceratopsians Pack || Stickers || Phone Wallpapers Masterlist

Planned or in the works: Kosmoceratops, Lokiceratops, Albertaceratops, Aquilops, Spinops, Achelousaurus, Einiosaurus, Zuniceratops, Beg, Wendiceratops, Micropachycephalosaurus (??), Stenopelix (??)

[makairodonx]

What? A dinosaurian porcupine? Paleontologists have just now announced the discovery of Nanoceratops porcuspinus, a new species of chasmosaurine Ceratopsian dinosaur hailing from the Maastrichtian deposits of Mexico and the American Southwest. In addition to the usual defensive headgear, N.porcuspinus is completely unique among ceratopsians for sporting tall bristle-like spines, similar to those of a porcupine, that could be used to ram into the face of a T.rex or Quetzalcoatlus if ever the animal rushed backwards; the spines also represent the evolutionary zenith of ceratopsian integument.

Here’s the paper regarding the description of N.porcuspinus: youtu.be/4qRZmFYdozY

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Round Two: Bisticeratops vs Gobihadros

Bisticeratops froeseorum

Artwork by sauriazoicillus, written by @zygodactylus

Name Meaning: Froese’s Dééł Náázíní Horned Face 

Time: 74 million years ago (Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous) 

Location: Farmington Member, Kirtland Formation, New Mexico, United States 

Bisticeratops is an early Chasmosaurine, known from a partial skull found in the Kirtland Formation. Yet another of a largely growing number of Chasmosaurine taxa from the Campanian of North America, it appeared to resemble Pentaceratops, but was more closely related to later ceratopsians known from the Kirtland formation, as well as one unnamed taxon from the Almond Formation in Wyoming. Interestingly, Bisticeratops shows signs of bite marks from tyrannosaurids, which apparently had begun to heal prior to death. However, we do not know which tyrannosaurid may have left these marks - while the Kirtland Formation is a well studied environment, the Farmington Member has never yielded dinosaurian fossils before now, taking place earlier than the more famous De-Na-Zin of the formation. Like other iterations, the Kirtland was a coastal plain along the western interior seaway, preserving a muddy and sandy environment that would have been filled with a variety of subtropical plants. It is presumable that other dinosaurs lived here besides Bisticeratops and a tyrannosaurid - hadrosaurs, ankylosaurs, pachycephalosaurs, ornithomimosaurs, and dromaeosaurs would all have been possible members of this ecosystem based on the following and preceding ones from this formation.

Gobihadros mongoliensis

Artwork by KookaburraSurvivor, written by @zygodactylus

Name Meaning: Hadrosaur from the Gobi of Mongolia 

Time: 90 to 86 million years ago (Turonian to Coniacian stages of the Late Cretaceous)

Location: Upper Beds, Bayan Shireh Formation, Bayshin Tsav, Baynshire, Char Teeg, Khongil Tsav, Khoorai Tsav, Mongolia 

Gobihadros is an early almost-hadrosaur from the Bayan Shireh Formation, one of the rare environments preserving the evolution of dinosaurs during the start of the Late Cretaceous epoch - essentially, when the charismatic dinosaurs of the Latest Cretaceous, such as hadrosaurs, first evolved. Multiple specimens are known from throughout the formation, making Gobihadros the best known early hadrosauroid from Asia. Adults reached sizes of about 7.5 meters long, and it had as many as three teeth per position within the lower jaw (this is high even for early hadrosaurs, more similar to those of later taxa, indicating convergent/parallel evolution). It also still retained the conical thumb claw of earlier ornithopods like Iguanodon. An older individual of the species showed signs of calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease, a condition of age causing restriction in the joints and pain during movement. Gobihadros lived in a semi-arid plain environment littered with lakes and rivers, with meandering bodies of water draining into the sea on the coast of China. Flowering plants were present in this environment, as well as a wide variety of animal life - sharks, Azhdarchids, turtles, and other dinosaurs like Alectrosaurus (probably), a troodontid, Erlikosaurus, Caenagnathoids, Garudimimus, Graciliceratops, a possible Carcharodontosaur (which would be a late surviving species), Talarurus, and potentially many more species waiting to be formally named.