🦏Ceratopsians

Horned and frilled faces

Ornithischia › Marginocephalia › Ceratopsia

Ceratopsians were plant-eaters with beaky mouths and big frills on their heads. Many, like Triceratops, also had horns. Their frills and horns may have helped them show off and stay safe.

Ceratopsians are marginocephalian ornithischians identified by the rostral bone, a unique bone that forms the upper beak. Early members such as Yinlong (about 160 million years ago, Late Jurassic China) and Psittacosaurus were small and often walked on two legs, while later ceratopsids like Triceratops, Styracosaurus and Centrosaurus were rhino-sized quadrupeds. Their frills and horns varied hugely between species, which suggests they were used for display and recognition as well as defence. Large bonebeds of Centrosaurus and Protoceratops indicate that some species lived in herds.