Pentaceratops facts for kids
Quick facts for kids PentaceratopsTemporal range: Late Cretaceous
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| Skull of Pentaceratops sternbergii | |
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Ceratopsinae
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Pentaceratops
Osborn, 1923
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Pentaceratops was a very large ceratopsian dinosaur. It was almost 11 meters in length and 4 meters tall. It was larger than Triceratops.
Description
Pentaceratops is a large ceratopsid; Dodson estimated the body length at 6 meters. The skull length of AMNH 1624 is 2.3 meters while PMU R.200 has a length of 216 centimeters. The nose horn of Pentaceratops is small and pointing upwards and backwards. The brow horns are very long and curving strongly forwards. The somewhat upward tilted frill of Pentaceratops is considerably longer than that of Triceratops, with two large holes (parietal fenestrae) in it. It is rectangular, adorned by large triangular osteoderms: up to twelve episquamosals at the squamosal and three epiparietals at the parietal bone. These are largest at the rear corners of the frill, and are separated by a large U-shaped notch at the midline, a feature not recognized until 1981 when specimen UKVP 16100 was described. Within the notch the first epiparietals point forwards. The very thick jugal and the squamosal do not touch each other, a possible autapomorphy.
The torso of Pentaceratops is tall and wide. The rear dorsal vertebrae bear long spines from which ligaments possibly ran to the front, to balance the high frill. The prepubis is long. The ischium is long and strongly curves forward. In smaller specimens the thigh bone bows outwards.
Images for kids
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P. sternbergii holotype skull with reconstructed parts, AMNH
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Specimen being airlifted with help from the New Mexico National Guard, 2015
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Paratype of P. aquilonius (CMN 9813), interpreted as an epiparietal of P. aquilonius (left) or Spiclypeus
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See also
In Spanish: Pentaceratops para niños
