Vagaceratops
Name:
Vagaceratops
(Wandering horned face).
Phonetic: Va-ga-seh-rah-tops.
Named By: Scott D. Sampson, Mark A. Loewen,
Andrew A. Farke, Eric M. Roberts, Catherine A. Forster,
Joshua A. Smith, & Alan L. Titus - 2010.
Synonyms: Chasmosaurus irvinensis.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria,
Ornithischia, Ceratopsia, Ceratopsidae, Chasmosaurinae.
Species: V. irvinensis (type).
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Up to 6 meters long.
Known locations: Canada, Alberta - Dinosaur
Park Formation.
Time period: Campanian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Skull and post cranial
remains.
The
material of Vagaceratops was first removed from its
block in 2001
when palaontologists identified it as a species of Chasmosaurus,
C.
irvinensis. Further study in 2010 however revealed it
to be
different enough to give it its own genus. Normal procedure for this
occurrence is to take the specific species name of the original
description, this case irvinensis, and apply it
to the newly
created genus to establish the type species, here resulting in
Vagaceratops irvinensis.
Vagaceratops
was similar to other chasmosaurine ceratopsians
in that it had a
comparatively long neck frill and reduced horns. However Vagaceratops
itself has been used in reconstructions to test how ceratopsian
dinosaurs actually stood. Palaeontologists have proposed a sprawling
stance where the arms extend outwards like a lizards, to a more
pillar-like arrangement where they support the body from underneath.
Computer modelling in 2007 by Alex Tirabasso demonstrated that the
legs were actually most efficient when in an intermediate position
between these two classically held reconstructions. This intermediate
form allows for better weight bearing potential while also providing a
greater deal of flexibility when feeding and moving.
Further reading
- A new species of Chasmosaurus (Dinosauria:
Ceratopsia) from the
Dinosaur Park Formation of southern Alberta. - Canadian Journal of
Earth Sciences 38: 1423–1438. - R. B. Holmes, C. A. Forster, M. J. Ryan
& K. M. Shepherd - 2001.
- New Horned Dinosaurs from Utah Provide Evidence for Intracontinental
Dinosaur Endemism". PLoS ONE 5 (9): e12292. - Scott D. Sampson, Mark A.
Loewen, Andrew A. Farke, Eric M. Roberts, Catherine A. Forster, Joshua
A. Smith & Alan L. Titus - 2010.
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