Centrosaurus
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Centrosaurus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 76.5–75.5 Ma |
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| Skull ROM 767 from Dinosaur Provincial Park | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | †Ornithischia |
| Family: | †Ceratopsidae |
| Subfamily: | †Centrosaurinae |
| Genus: |
†Centrosaurus Lambe, 1905 |
| Species: | †C. apertus |
| Binomial name | |
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Centrosaurus apertus Lambe, 1905 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Centrosaurus (/ˌsɛntroʊˈsɔːrəs/ SEN-tro-SAWR-əs) is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaurs from the late Cretaceous of Canada. Their remains have been found in the Dinosaur Park Formation, dating from 76.5 to 75.5 million years ago.
The name Centrosaurus means "pointed lizard" (from Greek kentron, κέντρον, "point or prickle" and sauros, σαῦρος, "lizard"), and refers to the series of small hornlets placed along the margin of their frills, not to the nasal horns (which were unknown when the dinosaur was named). The genus is not to be confused with the stegosaur Kentrosaurus, the name of which is derived from the same Greek word.
The massive bodies of Centrosaurus were borne by stocky limbs, although at up to 6 m (20 ft) they were not particularly large dinosaurs. Like other centrosaurines, Centrosaurus bore single large horns over their noses. These horns curved forwards or backwards depending on the specimen. Skull ornamentation was reduced as animals aged.
Centrosaurus is distinguished by having two large hornlets which hook forwards over the frill. A pair of small upwards directed horns is also found over the eyes. The frills of Centrosaurus were moderately long, with fairly large fenestrae and small hornlets along the outer edges.
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