Archaeoceratops
Encyclopedia
Archaeoceratops, meaning "ancient horned face", is a genus
of basal
neoceratopsian dinosaur
from the Early Cretaceous
(Aptian
stage
) of north central China
. It appears to have been bipedal and quite small (about 1 meter long) with a comparatively large head. Unlike many later ceratopsians it had no horns, possessing only a small bony frill projecting from the back of its head.
, Gongpoquan Basin
of the Mazong Shan
area of Gansu Province, north central China. The type species
, A. oshimai, was named by Dong Zhiming
and Azuma in 1997. It is the first basal neoceratopsian discovered in this area.
The type
specimen, IVPP V11114, consists of a partially complete skeleton including skull, caudal series (sequence of tail vertebrae), pelvis
, and most of a hind pes (foot).
The second specimen (paratype
), IVPP V11115, consists of an incomplete skeleton with a relatively well preserved caudal series, a partial hind limb, and a completely preserved pes. It is slightly smaller than the holotype
.
for "horned face"), a group of herbivorous dinosaurs with parrot
-like beaks which thrived in North America
and Asia
during the Cretaceous Period. In 1997 Dong and Azuma placed it in a new family, Archaeoceratopsidae.
. During the Cretaceous, flowering plants were "geographically limited on the landscape", and so it is likely that this dinosaur fed on the predominant plants of the era: ferns, cycads and conifers. It would have used its sharp beak to bite off the leaves or needles and chop them up to be swallowed.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
neoceratopsian dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
from the Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
(Aptian
Aptian
The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately...
stage
Faunal stage
In chronostratigraphy, a stage is a succession of rock strata laid down in a single age on the geologic timescale, which usually represents millions of years of deposition. A given stage of rock and the corresponding age of time will by convention have the same name, and the same boundaries.Rock...
) of north central China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It appears to have been bipedal and quite small (about 1 meter long) with a comparatively large head. Unlike many later ceratopsians it had no horns, possessing only a small bony frill projecting from the back of its head.
Discovery and Species
Two specimens were found in the Middle Gray Unit of the Xinminbao GroupXinminbao Group
The Xinminbao Group is a group of geological formations in north central China. They occur across a large depression between the Altai mountains of Mongolia to the north and the Qilian mountains of the Qinghai Plateau to the south, in the Gonpoquan and Suanjingze basins, and also in the...
, Gongpoquan Basin
Basin (geology)
A structural basin is a large-scale structural formation of rock strata formed by tectonic warping of previously flat lying strata. Structural basins are geological depressions, and are the inverse of domes. Some elongated structural basins are also known as synclines...
of the Mazong Shan
Mazong Shan
The Mazong Shan is a minor mountain range of northern Gansu, between the Altay range to the north and the Qilian range to the south. The Mazong Shan peak rises to 2584 m....
area of Gansu Province, north central China. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
, A. oshimai, was named by Dong Zhiming
Dong Zhiming
Dong Zhiming , from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, is one of China's leading paleontologists. He began working at the IVPP in 1962, learning from Yang Zhongjian who was director at the time...
and Azuma in 1997. It is the first basal neoceratopsian discovered in this area.
The type
Biological type
In biology, a type is one particular specimen of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached...
specimen, IVPP V11114, consists of a partially complete skeleton including skull, caudal series (sequence of tail vertebrae), pelvis
Pelvis
In human anatomy, the pelvis is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the lower limbs .The pelvis includes several structures:...
, and most of a hind pes (foot).
The second specimen (paratype
Paratype
Paratype is a technical term used in the scientific naming of species and other taxa of organisms. The exact meaning of the term paratype when it is used in zoology is not the same as the meaning when it is used in botany...
), IVPP V11115, consists of an incomplete skeleton with a relatively well preserved caudal series, a partial hind limb, and a completely preserved pes. It is slightly smaller than the holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
.
Classification
Archaeoceratops belonged to the Ceratopsia (the name is GreekAncient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
for "horned face"), a group of herbivorous dinosaurs with parrot
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
-like beaks which thrived in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
during the Cretaceous Period. In 1997 Dong and Azuma placed it in a new family, Archaeoceratopsidae.
Diet
Archaeoceratops, like all ceratopsians, was a herbivoreHerbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
. During the Cretaceous, flowering plants were "geographically limited on the landscape", and so it is likely that this dinosaur fed on the predominant plants of the era: ferns, cycads and conifers. It would have used its sharp beak to bite off the leaves or needles and chop them up to be swallowed.