Fun Koreaceratops Facts For Kids

The Koreaceratops was a small dinosaur species from South Korea. It existed about 103 million years ago during the Cretaceous period. Their fossils provide evidence that they were the first Ceratopsian dinosaur and were semi-aquatic in nature. Partial remains of this species were first excavated from the Hwaseong city in the Korean peninsula. Its fossils came into popularity as they were considered to be one of the first articulated dinosaur species in Korea. According to the observations of Lee et al., these dinosaurs had tall neural spines, which were present on their caudal vertebrae.

The distal caudal or tail vertebrae had neural spines, which were five times the height of the central vertebrae. This resulted in the formation of a fan-shaped tail which helped them in swimming. Their body size was short, weighing about 60-100 lb (27.2-45.4 kg). They were herbivores and foraged extensively on seaweed and other sea plants. As per the phylogenetic analysis performed by Lee, we do know that these dinosaurs possessed similar character traits to that of the Archaeoceratops and the more advanced Ceratopsians. However, they were way smaller than their relative Triceratops. Keep on reading to know more fun facts on the Koreaceratops.

For similar content, check out Chungkingosaurus facts and Ichthyovenator facts on Kidadl too.

How do you pronounce Koreaceratops? 

Koreaceratops is pronounced koe-ree-ah-seh-rah-tops.

What type of dinosaur was a Koreaceratops?

This was the first ceratopsian dinosaur of South Korea. Some other dinosaur species that lived in South Korea were the Ultrasaurus, the Microraptorinae, the Pukyongosaurus, and a large number of duck-billed dinosaurs and other Sauropods.

In which geological period did the Koreaceratops roam the Earth?

The Koreaceraptops roamed the Earth during the Albian period of the Cretaceous period.

When did the Koreaceratops become extinct?

The Koreaceratops fossil indicates that these dinosaurs that lived in Korea became extinct about 103 million years ago.

Where did a Koreaceratops live? 

The fossil of this animal species was discovered in the Hwaseong city of the Korean peninsula, which suggests that these dinosaurs lived in South Korea about 103 million years ago. Following this finding, they were named K. hwaseongensis. This fossil was first discovered in the Tando basin reservoir in 2008.

What was a Koreaceratops's habitat? 

The Koreaceratops skeleton had long spines on the back, which resulted in the formation of a fan-shaped tail. This suggests that this animal species were semi-aquatic. According to research conducted by Michael J. Ryan of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, these early Ceratopsians spent a good amount of time swimming in rivers.

Who did a Koreaceratops live with?

Due to a lack of specimen evidence, we do not know whether they were social animals or not. According to Michael J. Ryan, these small-sized dinosaurs spent most of their time foraging on sea plants.

How long did a Koreaceratops live?

We do not know the exact lifespan of this bipedal species due to missing fossil evidence. However, we do know that some of its relatives, like Archaeoceratops dinosaurs, had a lifespan of about 20-30 years.

How did they reproduce?

We have not found sufficient information on these 103 million-year-old Ceratopsians that lived in Korea. Just like other dinosaurs, they were oviparous, and their eggs were amniotic in nature. They may have looked after their eggs and maintained their own territory.

What did a Koreaceratops look like?

These Ceratopsians, Koreaceratops hwaseongensis, were small in size, weighing only 60- 100 lb (27.2-45.4 kg). The size of Koreaceratops was about 5-6 ft (1.5-1.8 m). Research conducted by Lee and Ryan indicates that these dinosaurs were bipedal, and several tall neural spines were noted on their caudal vertebrae. Their fossil specimen includes partial hind limbs, a hip bone, and a nearly complete tail. They had a beak protruding from their front jaw, which contributed to their parrot-like face. They were much smaller than their relatives, like the giant Triceratops.

According to the analysis by M.J. Ryan from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the tail of this species of Ceratopsians was a fan-shaped structure, which made them really good at swimming. Claws present on their feet also described them to be agile runners on the land. They were horned and had a relatively long quill-like structure present on their tail.

How did they communicate?

Due to the missing specimen, we do not have any specific information on the exact mode of communication of the Koreaceratops hwaseongensis. We may come to the conclusion that they produced low grunts and made sounds just like other dinosaurs.

How big was a Koreaceratops? 

The Koreaceratops' size was about 5-6 ft (1.5-1.8 m) and this dinosaur was relatively smaller than the Triceratops.

How fast could a Koreaceratops move?

References made by M.J. Ryan of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History on these K. hwaseongensis dinosaurs of the Cretaceous period were really interesting. The nearly complete tail specimen of this million-year-old dinosaur indicates that they were really good at swimming. Claws present on Koreaceratops' hands and feet further tell us that they were fast runners on the land as well.

How much did a Koreaceratops weigh?

The fossil of this animal that was discovered in the Tando basin reservoir from the city of Hwaseong weighed about 60-100 lbs (27.2-45.4 kg).

What were male and female names of the species?

No specific names are given to male and female dinosaurs of this species.

What would you call a baby Koreaceratops?

A baby Koreaceratops can be called a hatchling or a nestling, owing to the fact that dinosaurs lay eggs.

What did they eat? 

This early Ceratopsian discovered in Korea was a herbivore in nature. Their long beak and claws highlight that they were plant-eaters. Further, the fan-shaped tail structure noted in this species concludes that they were good swimmers and foraged upon seaweeds and sea plants extensively.

How aggressive were they?

Owing to their small size and herbivore diet, it is safe to assume that these early dinosaurs were not aggressive. However, we must keep in mind that they were horned animals, and also, quill-like structures were found on their tail. As a result, we can come to the conclusion that they may have engaged themselves in duels with the Koreaceratops' enemies.

Did you know...

The name Koreaceratops was first coined by Yuong-Nam Lee in 2011. This name means Korean horned face.

According to M.J. Ryan, quill-like structures present on their tail may have helped them with heat exchange, apart from swimming.

An unpublished article that was featured in 2021 concluded that the holotype specimen was about eight years old during its death. The article also suggests that it may have undergone certain biomechanics changes at the time of death.

Who found the Koreaceratops?

The first dinosaur of Korea was discovered by paleontologists Yuong-Nam Lee, Michael J. Ryan, and Yoshitsugu Kobayashi. Only partial tail and other skeletal remains were discovered by them. They described closely-related characteristics of this dinosaur with the Archaeoceratops and the Cerasinotops. Ryan explained the deep tail feature in them, along with the presence of several neural spines on their tail vertebrae. The fan-shaped tail highlights the possible adaptation of early Ceratopsians, which helped them in swimming and foraging on sea plants. Kobayashi and others also explained the adaptation of the later predatory dinosaurs from this species.

How did the Koreaceratops go extinct?

The extinction of the Koreaceratops was mainly due to natural disasters that took place around that time, for example, climate change, forest fire, rise in sea level, and many other factors. These species may not have undergone adaptive radiation and, therefore, were trapped in their habitat with the scarcity of food. Other factors like predatory dinosaurs that were giant in size along with other predatory animals, which lived during that period, also led to the extinction of this dinosaur species.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures by reading our Rahonavis facts or our Yinlong facts for kids.

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

Main image by Nobu Tamura

Second image by Jjw.