Cerasinops
Encyclopedia
Cerasinops was a small ceratopsian dinosaur
. It lived during the Campanian
of the late Cretaceous Period. Its fossils have been found in Two Medicine Formation
, in Montana
.
Cerasinops was named and described by Brenda Chinnery and Jack Horner
in 2007 from a specimen (MOR
300) almost 80% complete. Cerasinops belonged to the Ceratopsia
(the name is Ancient Greek
for 'horned face'), a group of herbivorous dinosaurs with parrot
-like beaks that thrived in North America
and Asia
during the Cretaceous Period. Within this group, it has been placed as a basal
member of Neoceratopia, although the description is variable; at one point, it is explicitly assigned to Leptoceratopsidae
, but in others, it is considered a sister taxon to Leptoceratopsidae, or as a neoceratopsian in general.
The type species
of the genus
Cerasinops is C. hodgskissi.
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...
. It lived during the Campanian
Campanian
The Campanian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch . The Campanian spans the time from 83.5 ± 0.7 Ma to 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma ...
of the late Cretaceous Period. Its fossils have been found in Two Medicine Formation
Two Medicine Formation
The Two Medicine Formation is a geologic formation, or rock body, that was deposited between 83.5 ± 0.7 Ma to 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma , during Campanian time, and is located in northwestern Montana...
, in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
.
Cerasinops was named and described by Brenda Chinnery and Jack Horner
Jack Horner (paleontologist)
John "Jack" R. Horner is an American paleontologist who discovered and named Maiasaura, providing the first clear evidence that some dinosaurs cared for their young. He is one of the best-known paleontologists in the United States...
in 2007 from a specimen (MOR
Museum of the Rockies
The Museum of the Rockies, is located in Bozeman, Montana. The museum, originally affiliated with Montana State University in Bozeman, and now, also the Smithsonian Institution, is known for its paleontological collections, although these are not its sole focus...
300) almost 80% complete. Cerasinops belonged to the Ceratopsia
Ceratopsia
Ceratopsia or Ceratopia is a group of herbivorous, beaked dinosaurs which thrived in what are now North America, Europe, and Asia, during the Cretaceous Period, although ancestral forms lived earlier, in the Jurassic. The earliest known ceratopsian, Yinlong downsi, lived between 161.2 and 155.7...
(the name is Ancient Greek
Ancient 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 that 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. Within this group, it has been placed as a 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:...
member of Neoceratopia, although the description is variable; at one point, it is explicitly assigned to Leptoceratopsidae
Leptoceratopsidae
The family Leptoceratopsidae, its name derived from the type genus Leptoceratops, is a group of several small neoceratopsian genera which appear not to belong to the clade Protoceratopsidae. They resembled, and were closely related to, other ceratopsids, but all discovered species are generally...
, but in others, it is considered a sister taxon to Leptoceratopsidae, or as a neoceratopsian in general.
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...
of the genus
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...
Cerasinops is C. hodgskissi.
External links
- "Missing Link" Dinosaur Discovered in Montana, a National Geographic article; the photographed skeleton is actually from MontanoceratopsMontanoceratopsMontanoceratops was a genus of small ceratopsian dinosaur. It lived during the early Maastrichtian of the late Cretaceous Period...
.