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Centrosaurus ( SEN-tro-SAW-rus, meaning "pointed lizard" (from Greek
Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
 kentron/?e?t??? = "point or prickle" + sauros/sa???? = "lizard")) is an herbivorous ceratopsian
Ceratopsidae

Ceratopsidae is a speciose group of marginocephalian dinosaurs including Triceratops and Styracosaurus. All known species were quadrupedal herbivores from the Upper Cretaceous of Western North America and are characterized by beaks, rows of shearing teeth in the back of the jaw, and elaborate horns and frills....
 dinosaur
Dinosaur

Dinosaurs were the dominant vertebrate animals of Landform ecosystems for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic Period until the end of the Cretaceous Period , when most of them became extinct in the Cretaceous?Tertiary extinction event....
 from the late Cretaceous
Cretaceous

The Cretaceous , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide, is a geologic period from circa to million years ago . In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows on the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period....
 of North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, approximately 75 million years ago.

The name refers to the series of small hornlets placed along the margin of the frill, and not to the horn on its nose (which was unknown when the dinosaur was named).






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Centrosaurus ( SEN-tro-SAW-rus, meaning "pointed lizard" (from Greek
Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
 kentron/?e?t??? = "point or prickle" + sauros/sa???? = "lizard")) is an herbivorous ceratopsian
Ceratopsidae

Ceratopsidae is a speciose group of marginocephalian dinosaurs including Triceratops and Styracosaurus. All known species were quadrupedal herbivores from the Upper Cretaceous of Western North America and are characterized by beaks, rows of shearing teeth in the back of the jaw, and elaborate horns and frills....
 dinosaur
Dinosaur

Dinosaurs were the dominant vertebrate animals of Landform ecosystems for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic Period until the end of the Cretaceous Period , when most of them became extinct in the Cretaceous?Tertiary extinction event....
 from the late Cretaceous
Cretaceous

The Cretaceous , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide, is a geologic period from circa to million years ago . In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows on the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period....
 of North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, approximately 75 million years ago.

The name refers to the series of small hornlets placed along the margin of the frill, and not to the horn on its nose (which was unknown when the dinosaur was named). It is not to be confused with the stegosaur Kentrosaurus
Kentrosaurus

Kentrosaurus is a genus of stegosauria dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of Tanzania, related to the better-known Stegosaurus of North America....
, whose name is derived from the same Greek word.

Description

Centrosaurus massive body was borne by stocky limbs, although at 18-20 ft (6m) it was not a particularly large dinosaur. Like other centrosaurines, Centrosaurus had a single large horn over the nose.. It may curve forwards or backwards in different species.

A pair of small horns is also found over the eyes; in Centrosaurus apertus these are directed upwards, whereas they are directed to the sides in C. brinkmani. The frill of Centrosaurus was moderately long, with fairly large fenestrae
Fenestrae

Fenestr? also from the Latin for window,are small pores in epithelial cells to allow for rapid exchange of molecules between blood vessels and surrounding tissue....
 and small hornlets along the outer edge.

C. apertus is distinguished by having two large hornlets which hook forwards over the frill, while in C. brinkmani these hornlets are small and covered with small, finger-like growths.

History

The first Centrosaurus remains were discovered by paleontologist Lawrence Lambe
Lawrence Lambe

Lawrence Morris Lambe was a Geology and Palaeontology from the Geological Survey of Canada . He was Canada's first great geologist. His published work, describing the diverse and plentiful dinosaur discoveries from the fossil beds in Alberta, did much to bring dinosaurs into the public eye and helped usher in the Golden Age of Dinosaurs...
 in strata along the Red Deer River
Red Deer River

The Red Deer River is a river in Alberta, Canada. It is a major tributary of the South Saskatchewan River.Red Deer River has a total length of 724 km and a drainage area of 45,100 km?....
 in Alberta
Alberta

Alberta is one of Canada Canadian Prairies Provinces and territories of Canada. It became a province on September 1, 1905.Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
. Later, vast bonebeds of Centrosaurus were found in Dinosaur Provincial Park
Dinosaur Provincial Park

Dinosaur Provincial Park is a World Heritage Site located about a two hours drive east of Calgary, Alberta, Alberta, Canada or northeast of Brooks....
, also in Alberta
Alberta

Alberta is one of Canada Canadian Prairies Provinces and territories of Canada. It became a province on September 1, 1905.Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S....
. Some of these beds extend for hundreds of meters and contain thousands of individuals of all ages and all levels of completion. Scientists have speculated that the high density and number of individuals would be explained if they had perished while trying to cross a flooded river.

Classification

Centrosaurus gives its name to the Centrosaurinae subfamily to which it belongs. Its closest relatives appear to be Styracosaurus
Styracosaurus

Styracosaurus was a genus of herbivore ceratopsian dinosaur from the Cretaceous Period , about 76.5 to 75.0 million years ago. It had four to six long horns extending from its neck frill, a smaller horn on each of its cheeks, and a single horn protruding from its nose, which may have reached dimensions of around 60 centimeters lon...
 and Monoclonius
Monoclonius

Monoclonius was a ceratopsian dinosaur from the Judith River Formation of Late Cretaceous Montana and Canada. It is often confused with Centrosaurus, a similar genus of ceratopsian ....
. It so closely resembles the latter of these that some paleontologists have considered them to represent the same animal. Later research showed, however, that they were in fact separate genera. The critical differences being found in the configuration of the hornlets at the top of the frill.

Palaeobiology

Like other Ceratopsidae
Ceratopsidae

Ceratopsidae is a speciose group of marginocephalian dinosaurs including Triceratops and Styracosaurus. All known species were quadrupedal herbivores from the Upper Cretaceous of Western North America and are characterized by beaks, rows of shearing teeth in the back of the jaw, and elaborate horns and frills....
, the jaws of Centrosaurus were designed to shear through tough plant material; the frill provided an attachment for large jaw muscles. The discovery of gigantic bone beds of Centrosaurus in Canada suggest that it was a gregarious animal and traveled in large herds.

See also

Related animals
  • Avaceratops
    Avaceratops

    Avaceratops is a genus of small ceratopsian dinosaur which lived during the late Campanian during the Late Cretaceous Period in what is now the Northwest United States....
  • Brachyceratops
    Brachyceratops

    Brachyceratops ) is a genus of ceratopsian dinosaur. It lived during the Late Cretaceous Period . Its fossils have been found in Alberta, Canada and Montana, United States....
  • Monoclonius
    Monoclonius

    Monoclonius was a ceratopsian dinosaur from the Judith River Formation of Late Cretaceous Montana and Canada. It is often confused with Centrosaurus, a similar genus of ceratopsian ....
  • Pachyrhinosaurus
    Pachyrhinosaurus

    Pachyrhinosaurus is a genus of ceratopsid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous geologic period of North America. The first examples were discovered by Charles M....
  • Styracosaurus
    Styracosaurus

    Styracosaurus was a genus of herbivore ceratopsian dinosaur from the Cretaceous Period , about 76.5 to 75.0 million years ago. It had four to six long horns extending from its neck frill, a smaller horn on each of its cheeks, and a single horn protruding from its nose, which may have reached dimensions of around 60 centimeters lon...


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