Gobiceratops

Go-be-seh-rah-tops.
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Emily Green

Paleobotanist

Emily Green brings the ancient world of plants to life through her insightful research and engaging writing. Her expertise lies in examining how prehistoric vegetation influenced climate patterns and animal evolution.

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Name

Gobiceratops ‭(‬Gobi horned face‭)‬.

Phonetic

Go-be-seh-rah-tops.

Named By

V.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Alifanov‭ ‬-‭ ‬2008.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Ceratopsia,‭ ‬Bagaceratopidae.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

G.‭ ‬minutus‭

Size

Skull‭ ‬3.5‭ ‬centimetres long.

Known locations

Mongolia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Barun Goyot Formation.

Time Period

Campanian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Skull and dentary‭ (‬lower jaw‭) ‬of a juvenile.

In Depth

       Named after the Gobi Desert,‭ ‬Gobiceratops seems to have been a small bagaceratopsid ceratopsian,‭ ‬though since the genus is only known from a juveniles skull,‭ ‬the full adult size is uncertain.‭ ‬Despite this,‭ ‬Gobiceratops may have been a close relative of Bagaceratops.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬The tiny horned dinosaur Gobiceratops minutus gen.‭ ‬et sp.‭ ‬nov.‭ (‬Bagaceratopidae,‭ ‬Neoceratopsia‭) ‬from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Paleontological Journal‭ ‬42‭(‬6‭)‬:621-633.‭ ‬-‭ ‬V.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Alifanov‭ ‬-‭ ‬2008.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT