Fun Dino-mite Pentaceratops Facts Facts For Kids

Pentacerotops are five horned dinosaurs and are a genus of ceratopsid dinosaurs of the 0rder Ornithischia and suborder Ceratopsia. They originated from the late Cretaceous period in North America. The fossils of this dinosaur were first discovered in the Isla Sorna and later were excavated in the Dinosaur Park Formation and Kirtland Formation. Some of their fossils were also found in eastern Asia. The species of this animal was named by Henry Fairfield Osborn in the year 1923 as Pentaceratops sternbergii. Their name has been derived from the Greek Penta to its bones and spikes, also because of their three horns, just like a Triceratops. The Pentaceratop's five horns were used to protect them against predators during fights for territory. They had broad feet. They were about 20 ft (6 m) in length, had a horn present on their snout and the length of the skull was about 7.5 ft (2.3 m). They have one on both sides of the bony neck and one above both the eyes. They are well known from the Kirtland Shale of New Mexico in the USA and they were ceratopsian which was more familiar to the Triceratops.

Got an interest in dinosaurs? You can also read about Xenoceratops and Bravoceratops to get more insight about them.

How do you pronounce 'Pentaceratops'?

The pronunciation of this horned dinosaur is 'pent-ah-ser-ah-tops.' The relative species to this plant-eater are Torosaurus and Styracosaurus. These dinosaurs lived alongside other dinosaurs and are related to them too, like Pachycephalosauridae Sphaerotholus, hadrosaur Parasaurolophus, the Tyrannosaurid Bistahieversor, and the Ankylosauridae Nodocephalosaurus.

What type of dinosaur was a Pentaceratops?

The Pentaceratops was a horned dinosaur that had various horns around its face area. They come under the category of Ceratopsians. They had one horn on the snout and two very long horns on the skull above both the eyes.

In which geological period did the Pentaceratops roam the earth?

Pentaceratops of the family Ceratopsidae used to live in the Late Cretaceous period, which was about 76-74 million years ago in history, as has been interpreted by the fossil.

When did the Pentaceratops become extinct?

The extinction of this animal with beak and bony neck frill of the family Ceratopsidae was about 65-64 million years ago. It is believed that they went extinct because of some asteroid attack. The Pentaceratops skull was 9.84 ft (3 m) long.

Where did a Pentaceratops live?

These dinosaurs were highly terrestrial and the fossil was mainly discovered in New Mexico in the Kirtland Formation.

What was a Pentaceratops' habitat?

Being a terrestrial animal, the preferred habitat for this dinosaur to inhabit were the grasslands, marsh areas, wetlands, scrublands, forests, tall grasses, or the places with good water and plant material to eat as they were herbivorous. The five horns or beak they possessed were used to protect them against the predators according to paleontology and also their weight was an added advantage to them to get a lead in fights.

Who did a Pentaceratops live with?

This ceratopsian was quite a social dinosaur as has been interpreted by paleontology. Though the groups were tiny, of three to four, this Pentaceratops dinosaur most of the time used to move in small groups. The average population of an area where they used to live was about seven to eight.

How long did a Pentaceratops live?

The length of their lifespan is not known yet as they existed in the late cretaceous period but they lived around 76-73 million years ago. These dinosaurs of North America had a straightforward fossil history.

How did they reproduce?

Females used to find these huge ornate heads of males very attractive which used to give some males with big heads an advantage in the mating. They used to use their horns and bony neck frill to butt each other and show their supremacy. Male dinosaurs with well-endowed horns were considered alpha males of the herd. The distinctive feature of the horns and the frill gave them an intra-herd recognition so that even the juveniles won't roam around with other similar-looking species of the ceratopsian dinosaurs.

What did a Pentaceratops look like?

Pentaceratops were horned dinosaurs of the ceratopsid category. These dinosaurs had tall and wide torsos and very large heads of around 10 ft and also had long prepubis. The vertebrae they had, bear a very long spine from where the ligaments ran to the front. Some other ceratopsians like Coahuilaceratops were discovered in the south of Mexico. The body length of these dinosaurs was about 20 ft (6 m) and the length of the skull was about 7.5 ft (2.3 m). The weight of this dinosaur has been recorded as around 2.75 tons (2494.75 kg). The horn which they have on the snout is pointed upwards and backward. At the same time, the horns above both the eyes were curved forward. The frill which they have was tilted upward and is considered as bigger than that of the Triceratops. The front feet were more narrow than the hind feet were broader.

How many bones did a Pentaceratops have?

The number of bones that a Pentaceratops skeleton had is still not known. They were first discovered by Charles Hazelius Sternberg.

How did they communicate?

The account of their communication skills is still unknown. Still, these dinosaurs used to live with other ceratopsian dinosaurs peacefully in the same territory and other small carnivores animals like Troodon and the Dilophosaurus. But sometimes engaged itself in the non-fatal fights for the territory.

How big was a Pentaceratops?

The length of this species of the clade Dinosauria was about 19.68-26.24 ft (6–8 m).

How fast could a Pentaceratops move?

The exact speed of the Pentaceratops is not known but the relative species of Triceratops has a speed of 19.88 mph (32 kph).

How much did a Pentaceratops weigh?

The weight of this beak and bony neck frill dinosaur used to be around 4.41-5.51 tons (4,000 – 5,000 kg). They weighed a little less than the Triceratops, according to the specimens. The Pentaceratop's five horns were used to protect them against predators during fights for territory. These dinosaurs of North America had a straightforward fossil history. They had one horn on the snout and two very long horns on the skull above both the eyes.

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for the male and the female of this dinosaur species of New Mexico Pentaceratops (Pentaceratops sternbergii). Also, it used to be very difficult to distinguish between the male and the female Pentaceratops.

What would you call a baby Pentaceratops?

The baby of this herbivore dinosaur species does not have any particular name to get called by. They were called 'baby Pentaceratops.'

What did they eat?

This Cretaceous period dinosaur used to be a herbivore and so it mainly fed on just plant materials. Pine needles, flowers, leaves, grasses, twigs, and fruits used to be in its diet.

How aggressive were they?

They were moderately aggressive. On getting provoked by some ceratopsians, this neck frill dinosaur would have been got into the fight. Some other large or medium-size carnivores animals like Spinosaurus and Majungasuarus used to get into a fatal fight with this dinosaur. The weight of this dinosaur has been recorded as around 2.75 tons (2494.75 kg).

Did you know...

There were around 16 different specimens found by the paleontologists.

They were first discovered by Charles Hazelius Sternberg in 1921 in the San Juan Basin in New Mexico.

This Pentaceratops is a plant-eater dinosaur that resembles a lot like rhinoceros but has few differences.

Why is it called a Pentaceratops?

This dinosaur of the family Ceratopsidae was a 'five horned dinosaur' which got its name from the Greek Penta, which means 'five,' Keras which means 'horn,' and ops which mean 'face.' Overall, that sums up to a 'five horned face' in reference to the two long epijugal bones and the spikes which can be seen sideways under its eyes.

Pentaceratops vs. Triceratops

The Triceratops was often called one of the best ceratopsian dinosaurs. The Pentaceratops and Triceratops had very similar features of neck frill, nose, and horns. They both are related species, and sometimes But the Pentaceratops had a thinner frill, longer nose than the Triceratops, and bigger horns by a small margin. The Pentaceratops size was a little smaller than the size of the Triceratops.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Homalocephale facts and the Sauropelta facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Pentaceratops coloring pages.