Fun Auroraceratops Facts For Kids
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The Auroraceratops was a neoceratopsian dinosaur that is known to have existed during the Aptian stage of the early Cretaceous period. The Auroraceratops animal went extinct somewhere between 129.4-115 million years ago.
Remains of these early Cretaceous-era dinosaurs were found in Asia, in the Gansu province, China. Apart from north-central China, some remains were also found in South Korea. The initial Auroraceratops fossil was discovered in the Xinmipu Group, specifically in the Mazong Shan area's Gongpoquan Basin.
Since then, bones of 80 distinct and complete individuals have been discovered, which includes whole skeleton assemblies. The Auroraceratops was a bipedal herbivore.
The snout of the Auroraceratops was wide and short, and the cranial skull was flat and wide. The Auroraceratops had three premaxillary teeth and premaxillae had at least two pairs of striated and fang-like teeth. These Auroraceratops dinosaurs had roughened nobs on their eyes and jaws.
These features may have been used in fights, in mating displays or in social disputes. The overall size of these horned-face ceratopsians was moderate.
For more relatable content, check out these Ostafrikasaurus facts and Ichthyovenator facts for kids.
Auroraceratops Interesting Facts
How do you pronounce 'Auroraceratops'?
Auroraceratops is pronounced as 'Or-ror-ah-seh-rah-tops'.
What type of dinosaur was an Auroraceratops?
The Auroraceratops is known to be a neoceratopsian dinosaur.
In which geological period did the Auroraceratops roam the Earth?
These horned dinosaurs of the Auroraceratops genus are known to have walked the Earth during the Aptian age of the early Cretaceous period.
When did the Auroraceratops become extinct?
These horned dinosaurs of the Auroraceratops genus went extinct about 129.4-115 million years ago.
Where did an Auroraceratops live?
Early Cretaceous-era Auroraceratops remains have been found in Asia, specifically north-central China, along with South Korea. The Gansu province, China is the place where many remains of these horned dinosaurs have been found, so they definitely walked these lands.
The initial specimen was found in the Gongpoquan Basin, Mazong Shan area of the Xinmipu Group. But as of 2021, more than 80 complete individuals have been discovered in the Gansu province, China, which includes entire skeleton assemblies.
What was an Auroraceratops' habitat?
The Auroraceratops lived in different kinds of terrestrial habitats.
Who did an Auroraceratops live with?
The Auroraceratops diet was herbivorous. It most probably lived in herds. It may have lived and foraged alone too.
How long did an Auroraceratops live?
These horned dinosaurs of the Auroraceratops genus probably lived for 70-80 years.
How did they reproduce?
Like other dinosaurs, the Auroraceratops probably reproduced by mating and laying eggs.
Auroraceratops Fun Facts
What did an Auroraceratops look like?
Unlike most neoceratopsians who had a narrow and long snout, the Auroraceratops had a wider and shorter snout. The cranial skull found in the Gansu province, China was 8 in (20.3 cm) long and was wide and flat.
Premaxillae of the Auroraceratops had two pairs of fang-like and striated teeth. A pair of rugose areas were present in the front part near the dinosaur's eyes as well as on the dinosaur's jugals.
There are corresponding areas present on the lower jaw as well. These rugose and roughened areas were covered in keratin and were probably used for intra-specific and inter-specific interactions.
They would've been useless for defending against predators. A possible function of roughened nobs would've been butting and pushing contests between two Auroraceratops dinosaurs for social disputes or mating rights.
The horned Auroraceratops was a moderate-sized, derived, and basal neoceratopsian dinosaur. This dinosaur adds much diversity to the 'Neoceratopsia' infraorder of ceratopsians. The Auroraceratops skull features are distinct from the Liaoceratops and the Archaeoceratops. Also, it was one of the bipedal ceratopsians and had horns on its face.
How many bones did an Auroraceratops have?
Although complete skeleton assemblies of the Aurroraceratops have been found, there is little information available about the number of bones it actually had.
How did they communicate?
How the early Cretaceous-era Auroraceratops communicated is rather speculative. It likely used vocal cues and visual displays such as bellows, grunts, hoots, mating rituals, territorial defense, and posturing.
How big was an Auroraceratops?
The horned Auroraceratops was 49 in (1.25 m) long and 17 in tall, which makes it 12 times smaller than the Ampelosaurus.
How fast could an Auroraceratops move?
Being a herbivorous and bipedal dinosaur, the horned Auroraceratops probably moved around with speeds between 4.5-12.4 mph (7.2-20 kph).
How much did an Auroraceratops weigh?
The Auroraceratops weighed around 34.2 lb (15.5 kg).
What were the male and female names of the species?
Males and females of the Auroraceratops genus did not have any specific names.
What would you call a baby Auroraceratops?
A baby Auroraceratops would be called a hatchling or a nestling.
What did they eat?
These Auroraceratops dinosaurs ate plants and vegetation.
How aggressive were they?
Auroraceratops dinosaurs were herbivores so they probably weren't very aggressive. There may have been some territorial defenses or competition for mates among these early Cretaceous-era ceratopsian dinosaurs.
Did you know...
Some other related dinosaurs that lived during the Aptian age of the early Cretaceous-era along with the Auroraceratops were the Nigersaurus, the Sauroposeidon, the Kakuru, the Yutyrannus, and the Nanshiungosaurus. A similar ceratopsian genus that lived during the same age as the Auroraceratops is the Liaoceratops, found in the Liaoning province.
The Auroraceratops was not the first genus of a basal neoceratopsian dinosaur that was discovered in China's Mazong Shan area. The first was the Archaeoceratops in 1997.
One adaptation of the Auroraceratops is its teeth. These early Cretaceous-era ceratopsian dinosaurs may have used their striated, fang-like teeth for attaining grip on trees or uprooting them entirely. Teeth may have been used for digging as well.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the Gansu Agricultural University, and some other institutes were responsible for describing the Auroraceratops collection of specimens in 2019. Eric Morschhauser from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania was the lead author of the description and research that provided a strong Auroraceratops dataset.
Another prominent researcher was Peter Dodson from the Veterinary Medicine Department of the University of Pennsylvania.
Auroraceratops translates to 'dawn horned face'. This genus name refers to two things.
One is that it was one of the earliest ceratopsians. The other is to Dawn Dodson, the wife of one of the paleontologists who described the genus of the Auroraceratops. It is common for a scientist to name a discovery after his wife or a family member.
The Auroraceratops is a member of the Ceratopsia order. The Ceratopsia order consists of herbivorous and beaked dinosaurs that lived in what is now Europe, Asia, and North America all around the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era.
The Ceratopsia order has a species called the Yilong downsi which was alive 161.2-155.6 million years ago. The last species of the Ceratopsia order was the Triceratops prorsus, known to have gone extinct 66 million years ago.
Some groups that belong to the Ceratopsia order include the Albalophosaurus, the Psittacosaurus, the Micropachycephalosaurus, the Stenopelix, the Chaoyangsauridae, and the Yinlong. About 12 related species of dinosaurs of the Psittacosaurus genus have been found in Mongolia, China, Siberia, Laos, and Thailand.
Was the Auroraceratops bipedal? Why?
Yes, the Auroraceratops was a bipedal ceratopsian. The bipedalism of this species may have been a part of evolution, inherited from proto-dinosaur species. The ceratopsian evolution involved the elongation of the hind limb which allowed these dinosaurs to run away from predators faster and smaller front limbs helped in balancing the weight better.
How many teeth did the Auroraceratops have?
The Auroraceratops is known to have two pairs of fang-like, striated teeth in its premaxilla. The number of premaxillary teeth was three.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other dinosaurs from our Zuniceratops facts and Yinlong fun facts for kids pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Auroraceratops coloring pages.
Second image by SSR2000.
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in English Literature
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As a highly motivated, detail-oriented, and energetic individual, Olaleye's expertise lies in administrative and management operations. With extensive knowledge as an Editor and Communications Analyst, Olaleye excels in editing, writing, and media relations. Her commitment to upholding professional ethics and driving organizational growth sets her apart. She has a bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of Benin, Edo State.
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