Graciliceratops

Gras-sil-i-seh-rah-tops.
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Cassidy Wood

Paleoentomologist

Cassidy Wood uncovers the tiny yet significant world of prehistoric insects. Her research on amber-preserved specimens has revealed intricate details about ancient ecosystems.

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Name

Graciliceratops ‭(‬graceful horned face‭)‬.

Phonetic

Gras-sil-i-seh-rah-tops.

Named By

P.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Sereno‭ ‬-‭ ‬2000.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Ceratopsia.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

G.‭ ‬mongoliensis‭

Size

Skull‭ ‬20‭ ‬centimetres long,‭ ‬body estimated at‭ 80-90‭ ‬centimetres long,‭ ‬holotype may well be a juvenile, so fully grown adults would have been larger

Known locations

Mongolia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Shiregin Gashun Formation.

Time Period

Cenomanian‭ ‬of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Skull and partial but articulated post cranial skeleton of a possible juvenile.

In Depth

       The type specimen was originally assigned to the genus Microceratops‭ (‬now a synonym to Microceratus‭)‬,‭ ‬Graciliceratops seems to have‭ ‬been a small and lightly built‭ ‬ceratopsian dinosaur.‭ ‬Graciliceratops seems to have been more comfortable in a bipedal posture,‭ ‬but already it is clear that Graciliceratops would have been easily able to adopt a quadrupedal posture when browsing upon low growing vegetation.‭ ‬The mouth of Graciliceratops had already formed a shearing beak which would have been capable of shearing off parts of plants.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬The fossil record,‭ ‬systematics and evolution of pachycephalosaurs and ceratopsians from Asia‭ ‬-‭ ‬P.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Sereno‭ ‬-‭ ‬In The Age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia.‭ ‬by M.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Benton,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Shishkin,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Unwin‭ & ‬E.‭ ‬N.‭ ‬Kurochkin‭ (‬eds‭) ‬-‭ 2000.

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