Ceratopsians

• Ceratopsians were large plant-eaters that appeared less than 90 mya.

• Most ceratopsian fossils come from North America.

• "Ceratopsian" means "horn-face," after the long horns on their snouts, eyebrows, or foreheads.

• Most ceratopsians had a neck shield or frill that swept sideways and up from the back of the head to cover the upper neck and shoulders.

• Well-known ceratopsians included Triceratops, Styracosaurus, Centrosaurus, Pentaceratops, Anchiceratops, Chasmosaurus, and Torosaurus.

• The neck frills of some ceratopsians, such as that of Chasmosaurus, had large gaps or "windows" in the bone.

• In life, the windows in the neck frill of a ceratopsian were covered with thick, scaly skin.

• Ceratopsians had no teeth in the fronts of their hooked, beaklike mouths.

• Using rows of powerful cheek teeth, ceratopsians sheared their plant food.

STAR FACT
Torosaurus had the longest skull of any land animal ever, at about 8.2 ft (2.5m) from the front of the snout to the rear of the neck frill.

By: Parker, Steve, Dinosaurs