Koreaceratops
Name:
Koreaceratops
(Korea horn face).
Phonetic: Koe-ree-ah-seh-rah-tops.
Named By: Yuong-Nam Lee, Michael J. Ryan
& Yoshitsugo Kobayashi - 2011.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia,
Dinosauria, Ornithischia, Ceratopsia.
Species: K. hwaseongensis (type).
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Uncertain due to incomplete remains.
Known locations: South Korea - Tando Basin.
Time period: Albian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Articulated caudal (tail)
vertebrae, ischia and partial hind limbs.
Koreaceratops made headlines in 2011 for two reasons, the first being that this was the first ceratopsian dinosaur to be discovered in South Korea. The second is the theory that Koreaceratops may have been semi aquatic. The latter is idea is based upon the observation of the tall neural spines of the recovered tail vertebrae which are over five times higher than the centra (the round part of the vertebra that encloses the spinal cord), and it seems reasonable that they would have supported a growth that resulted in a broad laterally compressed (thin when viewed from above) tail of the kind that is commonly seen in creatures that use their tail for swimming.
However
while the idea that Koreaceratops spent time
swimming in the water is a
very interesting, and plausible one, wider study of ceratopsians
may yield a more commonly accepted explanation. Many of the basal
ceratopsians had deep tails, although not all to the same extent as
Koreaceratops, and some remains have even revealed
the presence of
quill-like structures that would have risen up from the tail, giving
the impression that it was even larger than it really was.
This
has resulted in the popular notion that while later and advanced
ceratopsians used their neck frills and horns for display, the
earlier and even later surviving primitive forms relied upon their
tails and any ornamentation on them to do the same purpose.
Additionally it is worth noting that there is fossil evidence to
suggest that at least some of the later large ceratopsians, including
the most famous one of all Triceratops,
may have actually retained
these quill structures. More specimens of Koreaceratops
and similar
basal ceratopsians would allow for a more complete picture to be pieced
together, but it’s not inconceivable that a structure that was
developed for the purpose of display may have ended up being adapted to
serve a practical purpose.
The
type specimen of Koreaceratops was first discovered
in 2008 when an
official noted the remains in a sandstone block that had been used in
the construction of the Tando dam of Hwaseong City. However it seems
that when the block was extracted, it was cut in a way that only the
hind portion of the specimen was recovered. The fate of the rest of
the skeleton as well as exactly how much more is still missing remains
uncertain. Despite the lack of the other remains, Koreaceratops
is
thought to be similar to other forms like Archaeoceratops.
The
species name of K. hwaseongensis means ‘from
Hwaseong’, after
the city where the type specimen remains were found.
Further reading
- The first ceratopsian dinosaur from South Korea. - Naturwissenschaften. - Y.-N. Lee, M. J. Ryan & Y. Kobayashi - 2011.
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