Fun Yehuecauhceratops Facts For Kids

Yehuecauhceratops mudei (Rivera Sylva) is a species of ceratopsian dinosaurs that were excavated from the Campanian Aguja Formation in Coahuila, in present day Mexico. Even though only partial fossils were found, science has been able to tell us a lot about these horned animals of the past.

While they may look extremely lethal due to the size and horns, you will be surprised to know that they were in fact herbivorous and would hardly cause us any harm if they were to still be around - except if they crushed us with their massive weight!

How do you pronounce 'Yehuecauhceratops '?

The name of this animal has been derived from two languages - Nahuatl and Greek - and hence, the pronunciation is a bit complex. If we were to try, we would probably call them 'yeah-who-caw-serra-tops'.

What type of dinosaur was a Yehuecauhceratops?

The Yehuecauhceratops was a genus of Mexican ceratopsids, which were very similar to other genera such as Nasutoceratops and Avaceratops.

In which geological period did the Yehuecauhceratops roam the earth?

These animals are said to have tread earth during the Late Cretaceous period, since the soil surrounding the fossil remains suggest so. These Mexican centrosaurine ceratopsian animals were discovered through excavation at sites in La Salada.

When did the Yehuecauhceratops become extinct?

While the exact timeline as to when the Late Cretaceous animals became extinct is not known to us, it is estimated that this geological period ended around 60 million years ago. This gives us a fair idea of when these ginormous animals may have stopped existing.

Where did a Yehuecauhceratops live?

The flora and fauna of the southern parts of the Campanian Aguja Formation are said to have been very different from those of the northern regions. The southern regions, where several other centrosaurines were discovered is said to have been covered in rich vegetation, the climatic conditions of the northern regions mainly allowed brackish waters, floodplains and marshes. Evolution and natural order allowed Yehuecauhceratops to be a part of the northern parts. However, since these animals are said to have been herbivorous, it is hardly a matter of surprise that they would have preferred to live in areas that had considerable amounts of plant-cover.

What was a Yehuecauhceratops's habitat?

The fossil remains, as well as the holotype specimen of the Yehuecauhceratops mudei (Rivera sylva) species have been found at La Salada, which is in present day Mexico. The name of the partivular formation that was excavated intensely during the early 2010s is Campanian Aguja Formation.

Who did a Yehuecauhceratops live with?

While scientists and paleontologists are yet to find out the way that these Late Cretaceous animals would have behaved in a society, it is well known that ceratopsian animals preferred to live in small or large groups. Moreover, since they were herbivores, it can further be concluded that these members of the clade Dinosauria would have hardly ever be seen alone during their stay on earth.

How long did a Yehuecauhceratops live?

The lifespan of an average Yehuecauhceratops mudei (Rivera Sylva) is not known, neither has it been possible to make an estimate for the amount of time that these dinosaurs may have stayed on earth simply because they were a basal species and would have gone through several stages of evolution that is not recorded through any parts of the skeleton.

How did they reproduce?

It is known that dinosaurs were oviparous, which means that the Yehuecauhceratops mudei (Rivera Sylva), too, reprodiced by laying eggs. Some paleontologists, however, estimate that ceratopsids may have indulged in displays during the mating period since they had such an elaborate and beautiful frill-pattern on the skull.

What did a Yehuecauhceratops look like?

The most striking feature of this beautiful ancient animal from present day Mexico is its horned head. The remains of the Yehuecauhceratops skull suggests that this animal had large frills, as well horns. Recent studies also suggest that it had flared nostrils.

In terms of size, this dinosaur genus would only be somewhat mediocre in comparison with the other members of the family, whether from within Mexico, or outside!

How many bones did a Yehuecauhceratops have?

The exact number of bones that the Yehuecauhceratops muddei (Rivera Sylva) dinosaur may have had is yet to be known to paleontologists, since only a partial part of the skeleton has been found. However, the picture of the reconstructed skeleton of these ancient animals from present day Coahuila does tell us that they did have a fairly large number of bones!

How did they communicate?

The mode of communication used by these dinosaurs is not known exactly, but it is estimated that like other centrosaurine ceratopsids, they would have had a harsh call. Ceratopsids such as Nasutoceratops, Diabloceratops, and Xenoceratops are also estimated to have used the frills on their heads as a means of communication within the same genera or family.

How big was a Yehuecauhceratops?

The length of an average Yehuecauhceratops mudei dinosaur is estimated to be of around 9.8 ft (3 m). This makes these animals only slightly smaller than Triceratops. The Zuniceratops is around 7.2 ft (2.2m).

How fast could a Yehuecauhceratops move?

The estimate for the speed at which these dinosaurs of the Late Cretaceous period could run is yet to be known to us through any journal.

How much did a Yehuecauhceratops weigh?

The average Mexican ceratopsids, or Yehuecauhceratops would weigh a staggering 8800 lb (4 tonnes)!

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no distinct names for the two sexes of Yehuecauhceratops, and hence, we have chosen to refer to them as the male Yehuecauhceratops dinosaur and female Yehuecauhceratops dinosaur.

What would you call a baby Yehuecauhceratops?

The baby Yehuecauhceratops would be called a hatchling.

What did they eat?

Yehuecauhceratops mudei was a species of herbivorous animals, like the rest of the family. The Anchiceratops are herbivorous as well.

How aggressive were they?

It is unlikely that in spite of the intimidating looks, they would have been aggressive creatures, since these animals were purely herbivorous, and lived in groups.

Did you know...

The Yehuecauhceratops dinosaur genus is one of the many genera that are named after their horned skull.

The discovery of partially fossilized bones of this Mexican dinosaur has allowed paleontologists to be able to reconstruct an almost entire skeletal figure!

The name of this animal from North America (present-day Mexico) has roots in two languages! 'Yehuecauh' is a Nahuatl term that means 'ancient', and 'ceratops' is a Greek word for 'face with horns'.

How many species does Yehuecauhceratops have?

Yehuecauhceratops mudei (Rivera Sylva) is the only known species of the Yehuecauhceratops genus.

What kind of environment did Yehuecauhceratops lived in?

The discovery of fossilized remains from ancient times suggests that this species of horned dinosaur lived in floodplains and marshes that were present in the north of present-day Mexico, specifically Caohuila.

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 dinosaur reading coloring pages.

Main image by Michael B. H. and second image by RogelioReyna.