Fun Eotriceratops Facts For Kids

The Eotriceratops is a herbivore dinosaur that existed in the late Cretaceous period, about 68 million years ago. The fossils of this animal were located in Alberta, Canada, at the Horseshoe Canyon Formation.

The specimen was located in a remote region, in a rock horizon that was a remnant of large sediment deposits from around 68 million years ago. The timeline of their existence was pinpointed to the Late Cretaceous to the Maastrichtian stage.

Eotriceratops fossils are of essential value to paleontologists as there are very few known dinosaurs that lived during the Late Cretaceous to the Maastrichtian stage. The Eotriceratops are believed to have helped in tracing the ancestor of the other horned dinosaurs that later appeared on the Earth, like the triceratops.

Today, the Eotriceratops remains a poorly studied dinosaur species because of the lack of fossil findings, and most of the physical description of this dinosaur is based on assumptions and guesswork.

Eotriceratops Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Eotriceratops'?

Eotriceratops was named and described by Dennis R. Braman, Donald B. Brinkman, Xiao-Chun Wu, and David A. Eberth in the year 2007. The Greek word 'Eos' meaning 'dawn' was added to the front of the Triceratops genus name which referred to the Eotriceratops being older than the triceratops. The name is pronounced as 'E-oh-try-seh-rah-tops'.

What type of dinosaur was an Eotriceratops?

Based on the fossil specimen of this dinosaur found in Central Alberta in the Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, it was linked quickly to the triceratops and other ‬Ceratopsia (beaked dinosaurs species). Eotriceratops, just like triceratops are believed to have a three-horned face and had a straighter horn.

Eotriceratops are also believed to be larger than triceratops in both weight, height, and width.

In which geological period did the Eotriceratopsroam the Earth?

Based on the studies on the fossil specimen of this dinosaur, the timeline of the Eotriceratops roaming the earth is estimated to be around the late Cretaceous period. This timeline puts the Eotriceratops alongside the Aegyptosaurus, Argentinosaurus, and the Euoplocephalus classes of dinosaurs that existed in the same Maastrichtian period.

When did the Eotriceratops become extinct?

It is believed that this dinosaur became extinct around 66 million years ago.

Where did Eotriceratops live?

Based on the region where the Eotriceratops fossil was found, it is believed that these dinosaurs lived on the continent of North America. Eotriceratops fossils have been found in Alberta, Canada too.

What was the Eotriceratops' habitat?

Being the informal sister species of triceratops, it is believed that Eotriceratops, too, had a habitat that cannot be pinpointed, as these herbivores kept moving from one region to the other in search of food and a safer habitat that would be good for rearing infants.

Who did the Eotriceratops live with?

The Eotriceratops is assumed to be a social species, much like the triceratops, and lived in small to large groups that protected the juveniles from predators in the wildlife-packed nature.

The presence of bite marks on the skull implies that these dinosaurs were often targeted by larger carnivores who would sink their teeth into the neck of the Eotriceratops to immobilize the dinosaur.

How long did an Eotriceratops live?

Due to a lack of data, the lifespan of this animal cannot be estimated.

How did they reproduce?

Not much is known about the reproductive process of this dinosaur and facts about their gestation period, sexual maturity, and incubation period remain a mystery.

Eotriceratops Fun Facts

What did the Eotriceratops look like?

The Eotriceratops was a herbivore dinosaur and lived in the Cretaceous period, living in North America.

Based on fossil evidence, it is safe to assume that these dinosaurs were larger in comparison to the triceratops. The body was heavy with three horns on the face and a large frill that helped them control their body temperatures accordingly to their habitats.

This dinosaur has a flat and elongated snout, with forward-pointing horns above the eyes measuring around 2.6 ft (0.7 m) long to fight off predators.

It only makes sense that the evolution of the triceratops and other Ceratopsians genera are believed to use the Eotriceratops as a base structure.

How many bones did an Eotriceratops have?

The skull of the Eotriceratops is estimated to be around 9.8 ft (3 m) in length and it is longer than any triceratops skull that has been excavated in Canada. The bone structure of this dinosaur is believed to have been the same as the triceratops.

The bones included the skull, a bony nostril, and a poorly defined bone structure that formed the center of the neck shield protecting the heads of this creature.

The other fragments found of this dinosaur include a few ribs, vertebrae, and stagnating ligaments.

Some punctures on the base of the horn core of the discovered fossils depict that this dinosaur was targeted by a larger predator.

How did they communicate?

The Eotriceratops' communication method is unknown even today. Assumptions have been made that state the Eotriceratops, like many other known species of dinosaurs, communicated through visual and vocal techniques.

How big was the Eotriceratops?

Based on the study of the 9.8 ft (3 m) long skull specimens, the length of the body of this dinosaur is estimated to be around 29.5-32.8 ft (9-10 m) long. Compared to the Triceratops, the Eotriceratops were slightly larger. The height is still unknown.

How fast could an Eotriceratops move?

The movement speed of the Eotriceratops cannot be stated because of a lack of evidence as there are not many fossil findings to go around on. It is believed that these animals were slow movers because of their body weight.

How much did an Eotriceratops weigh?

The weight of the Eotriceratops is believed to have been around 22046.2 lb (10,000 kg)!

What were the male and female names of the species?

Neither the male nor the female of this species has been identified and named specifically.

What would you call a baby Eotriceratops?

A baby Eotriceratops has no precise name assigned to it and is known as a baby Eotriceratops.

How aggressive were they?

Being the herbivore they were, Eotriceratops are believed to have been fairly docile creatures. They did, however, use the massive horn on their skulls to ward off predators.

Did You Know…

Based on the fossil findings, it is known that North America has a rich history of Ceratopsians and their chain of evolution, as the continent has a denser horner dinosaur fossil reserve than parts of Asia.

Alberta, Canada is known as a hotbed for the discovery of new dinosaurs, especially since there are still new genera of Ceratopsians still being discovered in the area. The Alberataceratops is one of these well-preserved dinosaur fossils.

In 1910, Barnum Brown passed up the opportunity to study the then-unknown Eotriceratops fossils that were located close by the Albertosaurus fossils. Brown chose to ignore the fossil because he thought it was better to work on the Albertosaurus fossils that were preserved much better than the Eotriceratops fossils.

The fossils were almost not discovered, but luckily the specimen was noticed by the expedition party! The work to excavate the rock formation began in 2001 and Glen Guthrie discovered a huge skull of this newly found species. The bones were later confirmed to be an undiscovered and new ceratopsid dinosaur species. The animal was later named 'Eotriceratops Xerinsularis'.

The 2007 discovery saw the Eotriceratops be placed in a list of closest relatives of the three-horned dinosaur species of the Torosaurus, Nedoceratops, and the Triceratops. The discovery of this species led to more information being gathered on the famous Triceratops.

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