Fun Prenoceratops Facts For Kids

Prenoceratops, a species of dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period, lived about 80 million years ago and came from the same class as reptiles. It belonged to a family of dinosaurs known as Ceratopsia and was a herbivore, feeding on plants.

The fossils of the original specimen were discovered in the upper Two Medicine Formation which is in present-day Montana, USA, and was first described by Brenda J. Chinnery in the year 2004.

Many scientists believe that it is the only basal neoceratopsian that is known from a bonebed. Expected to have a bent posture and a slightly sloped and horned face, these dinosaurs were suspected to be close cousins to the triceratops dinosaurs.

Since they both come from the Ceratopsian family of dinosaurs, they would have probably had horns.

This is because they shared some physical characteristics with Triceratops. For instance, they both had a beak-like structure that resembled a parrot.

The frill present in Prenoceratops, on the other hand, was smaller in size compared to triceratops. These species of dinosaurs that lived and went extinct millions of years ago were believed to have made their homes in terrestrial habitats like woodlands, forest margins, and plains.

Feeding on ferns and conifers, these species would have used their sharp beak in biting off plants and leaves.

They were common across parts of North America and also in Asia during the cretaceous period. Since fossils of similar specimens were found in a bonebed, paleontologists also suspected that they might have roamed the earth in groups or flocks.

If you'd like to learn more about similar dinosaurs, check out our Liaoceratops fun facts for kids or Bagaceratops surprising facts that you're sure to enjoy!

Prenoceratops Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Prenoceratops'?

Prenoceratops is pronounced as 'Pree-noe-seh-rah-tops'.

What type of dinosaur was a Prenoceratops?

The Prenoceratops dinosaur species, which belonged to a new basal neoceratopsian, is a type of leptoceratopsid that lived in the Late Cretaceous period approximately 78-74 million years ago and their fossils were discovered in Two Medicine formation by Brenda J. Chinnery in 2004. They belong to the Prenoceratops genus and to the Leptoceratopsidae family.

In which geological period did Prenoceratops roam the earth?

These species of dinosaurs were believed to have roamed the earth during the Late Cretaceous period.

When did the Prenoceratops become extinct?

It is not known exactly when the Prenoceratops, the only basal neoceratopsian known from a bonebed, went extinct but they disappeared from the face of the earth and became extinct a long time ago. Factors like natural disasters and meteorite hits would have contributed to the extinction of this dinosaur species.

Where did Prenoceratops live?

The Prenoceratops preferred living in the margins or borders of forests, woodlands, in plains and uplands. They would have moved in small groups, grazing or herding together.

What was the Prenoceratops' habitat?

These particular dinosaurs made their habitat in terrestrial places like deserts, grasslands, woodlands, forest margins, and plains. Their fossils were found in various regions of North America and Asia.

Who did Prenoceratops live with?

These dinosaurs were believed to have lived in small flocks or groups given their social nature.

How long did a Prenoceratops live?

This horn-faced dinosaur became extinct many millions of years ago. As a result, it is not known currently for how long they lived but what is definite is that they would have roamed the earth for a good period of time.

How did they reproduce?

The Prenoceratops dinosaur, like most dinosaurs, are believed to have laid their eggs in small clutches in a nest which was usually guarded and looked after by the female until they were ready to hatch. Prenoceratops probably walked on all four legs but it is assumed they had the ability to stand on two feet for feeding.

Prenoceratops Fun Facts

What did Prenoceratops look like?

Its fossils have been found in the upper Two Medicine Formation in the present-day U.S. state of Montana, in Campanian age rock layers. It had a relatively large and sloping head with teeth different from the teeth of dinosaur members from its Ceratopsia family.

First described by Brenda J. Chinnery, it is also believed to have a horned face, their bodies portrayed a bent-up posture with a long tail as well.

These dinosaurs were found to exist in North America and parts of Asia during the cretaceous period and were largely herbivorous. Scientists suspect that these species were closely related to Leptoceratops.

How many bones did a Prenoceratops have?

These dinosaur species, with horned faces, had about 985 bones in total!

How did they communicate?

Like all other dinosaurs, paleontologists have stated that these dinosaurs may have communicated with each other by hissing, clapping jaws together, roaring, growling, rubbing scales together, or making use of the environment around like water and trees.

How big was the Prenoceratops?

These dinosaurs of the Ceratopsia family were discovered, described, and named by Brenda J. Chinnery and existed during the late cretaceous period. They were about 9 ft (2.74 m) in length, the same as a zebra!

How fast could a Prenoceratops move?

Similar to its triceratops cousin, they were quite fast and agile, running at a speed of around 20 mph (32 kph) just like antelopes and coyotes!

How much did a Prenoceratops weigh?

The Prenoceratops size and weight were estimated to be around 150 lb (68 kg) just like giraffes!

What were the male and female names of the species?

This species of dinosaur that comes from the Ceratopsia family and genus does not have any sex-specific male or female names.

What would you call a baby Prenoceratops?

Dinosaurs are hatched from eggs. Since they are closely linked to reptiles, the baby of this three-horned dinosaur species is called a hatchling or nestling.

What did they eat?

The Prenoceratops, which is a genus of ceratopsian dinosaurs, was a herbivore that fed on plant matter and vegetation. They had a similar diet to modern-day sheep, deer, and horses.

How aggressive were they?

As they were dinosaurs, they would have engaged in a certain degree of aggression with each other but they were not extremely violent or ferocious.

Did you know...

Being the only basal neoceratopsian known from a bonebed, the Prenoceratops does not have a horn, despite its name meaning 'slender horned face.'

Scientists believed that all the species of dinosaurs that lived in the late cretaceous period developed certain anatomical adaptions to the challenging environment around them. However, these Prenoceratops dinosaurs remained the same with no changed developments which further justified the fact they didn't change habitats much, often staying in uplands and forest margins.

Some scientists think Prenoceratops may have used its hind legs to burrow into the ground to hide from predators.

Why are they called Prenoceratops?

These dinosaurs are called Prenoceratops since their posture looked as if they were 'bent forward' or 'sloped down'.

Who discovered the Prenoceratops?

This species of dinosaur was discovered and described by Brenda J. Chinnery in 2004 in the Two Medicine Formation in present-day Montana, USA. The fossil material represents the only bone-bed deposition of a basal neoceratopsian currently known.

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

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