Fun Judiceratops Facts For Kids

Judiceratops tigris is a relatively new species to have been excavated by paleontologists at the Judith River formation in modern-day Montana, in North America. The fossil remains of this dinosaur from the middle Campanian of the cretaceous era are very scanty - in fact, the only fossil that has been found is an incomplete skull.

The other specimens are yet to be confirmed to be of the same species, and hence have not been studied for possible traits.

This dinosaur species, like the other related genera of the Cretaceous period such as Utahceratops and Pentaceratops, is known to have been herbivorous, in spite of what the massive size and intimidating appearance might lead us to believe.

One of the most interesting facts about these dinosaurs is that they are speculated to be the oldest known chasmosaurine ceratopsids that have been discovered yet! If you would like to see the specimen, you should definitely consider visiting the Peabody Museum of Natural History!

Judiceratops Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Judiceratops'?

We pronounce the name of the genus Judiceratops as "joo-dee-seh-rah-tops".

What type of dinosaur was a Judiceratops?

The Judiceratops was a ceratopsid dinosaur, that bore resemblance to other genera such as Avaceratops and Albertaceratops.

In which geological period did the Judiceratops roam the earth?

This new horned dinosaur genus is estimated to have lived on earth during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous period. Specimens of the Judiceratops tigris (Longrich, 2013), a new horned dinosaur, were found from the upper cretaceous or middle Campanian stage.

If you are wondering how long ago that might have been, you will be amused to know that this new horned dinosaur from the Middle Campanian Judith River Formation of Montana, lived no less than 78 million years ago!

When did the Judiceratops become extinct?

The exact timeline as to when this genus might have become extinct is not known due to the lack of fossil remains, however, it is known that the beautiful lineage was wiped off due to a possible meteor collision.

Where did a Judiceratops live?

Since Judiceratops are known to have been herbivorous, it hardly comes as a surprise that this horned dinosaur genus would have preferred to live in woodlands and forests. While the height of the genus is not known, we do know that Ceratopsins were usually short in height and would feed on low-lying plants.

What was a Judiceratops's habitat?

The holotype specimen, an incomplete skull, as well as other fossil remains of the Judiceratops have been found in places in North America. The name of the formation is the middle Campanian Judith River Formation of Montana (present-day name).

The soil found around the fossilized skull of the type species also evidently implies that what we know as Montana today was a rich woodland during the late Cretaceous period of the earth.

Who did a Judiceratops live with?

While the exact society of the Judiceratops genus is not known, it is a habit of herbivorous animals to live in packs or herds. The Judiceratops tigris (Longrich, 2013) can also be assumed to have been a species that preferred the company of more of its likes.

How long did a Judiceratops live?

The exact lifespan of the Judiceratops or the geological timeline through which this genus might have lived is not known since paleontological terms term Judiceratops tigris (Longrich, 2013) a new horned dinosaur from the middle Campanian period to have been discovered.

How did they reproduce?

Dinosaurs are known to have been oviparous, and there are no reasons that would lead paleontologists into believing that these animals would show any deviation from the trend. This means that the Judiceratops tigris (Longrich, 2013) of the late cretaceous period, which is also the oldest known chasmosaurine ceratopsid, reproduced by laying eggs.

The search for any eggs or specimens of a juvenile Judiceratops is still underway in Montana.

Judiceratops Fun Facts

What did a Judiceratops look like?

The characteristic features of the Judiceratops include a skull that has many frills and horns. The frill or parietal bone has a midline bar and rounded margins. The postorbital horn is said to be elongated in this herbivore, however, the exact frill structure is not known as of yet.

Since Judiceratops are known to have been one of the oldest chasmosaurines, most features of the genus are quite primitive in comparison to the features of its predecessors.

How many bones did a Judiceratops have?

Since the only partial skull of the Judiceratops tigris (Longrich, 2013), among other fragments of fossils, has been found, paleontologists are yet to predict the number of bones that would constitute the entire skeletal figure.

How did they communicate?

Not much could be gathered from the incomplete skull specimen of this ceratopsid dinosaur that was found at the middle Campanian Judith River, regarding the mode of communication used by the Judiceratops.

However, the frill-like bones that have been observed on the skull suggest that the horns and frills may have been used for displays or communicating sexual activity of the animal.

How big was a Judiceratops?

The average length of these dinosaurs would be of around 13.1 ft (4 m)! Aren't you astonished at how paleontologists can predict that from frill-like structures and horns!

How fast could a Judiceratops move?

While the search for a number that would define the speed of these dinosaurs, or an estimation of whether or not an average Judiceratops tigris would be agile is still underway, it is pretty obvious that the classification would not be leaning towards the family of speedy creatures!

How much did a Judiceratops weigh?

The average Judiceratops dinosaur would weigh around 1543 lb (700 kg) from frill to foot!

What were the male and female names of the species?

Since there are no male and female names for this dinosaur from the Middle Campanian Judith River Formation of Montana, we have resorted to referring to them as the male Jusiceratops tigris and female Judiceratops tigris respectively.

What would you call a baby Judiceratops?

Since dinosaurs are known to have been oviparous, a baby of the Judiceratops genus would be called a hatchling!

What did they eat?

The diet of the oldest known chasmosaurine dinosaurs was typical of the family. These dinosaurs were strictly herbivorous, feeding on the many plants and trees that were aplenty during the late cretaceous period of the Judith River Formation of Montana (present-day name).

How aggressive were they?

Since these dinosaurs were herbivorous, it is highly unlikely that they would be aggressive. Herbivorous dinosaurs are usually known to be peaceful, and paleontologists are inclined towards believing the same for the Judiceratops tigris (Longrich, 2013) dinosaurs until proven otherwise.

Did you know...

The Judiceratops genus treads earth around 78 million years ago, during the late cretaceous period of Campanian Judith River formation.

The holotype specimen of the species is stored at the Peabody Museum of Natural History.

This peaceful herbivore, in illustrations, can be seen to be in search of plants and other treats to munch on!

The classification of the Judiceratops as Ceratopsins is based on the frill-like bones found on the skull specimen.

How many specimens of Judiceratops have been found?

Only one specimen of the Judiceratops tigris has been found to date, which makes the study of the species very tough. 

Where are the fossils of Judiceratops found?

The fossil remains of the Judiceratops consist of a single partial skull that was discovered at the Judith River Formation in modern-day Montana, North America. However, the specimen for the classification of the genus as a part of Chasmosaurins and Ceratopsids.  

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover!

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

Main image by Nobu Tamura and second image by Mojoceratops.