The Dinosauriad
Achelousaurus

© Michael W. Skrepnick, per guidelines for non-commercial usage

Classification

Achelousaurus Sampson, 1994

• Type Species:  Achelousaurus horneri

• Name Meaning:  "Achelous' lizard"

• Synonyms:  None

• Classification breakdown:

Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Archosauri Superorder Dinosauria Order Ornithischia Suborder Ceratopia Family Ceratopsidae Subfamily Centrosaurinae Genus Achelousaurus

Measurements

Height: 2.7 meters (8 feet)

Length:  6 meters (20 feet)

Mass:  

Placement in Time

Cretaceous, Late Campanian

Known Locations

United States

Recovered Remains

 

Information

Achelousaurus is a relative of another frilled ceratopsian dinosaur, Pachyrhinosaurus. They shared the same strange lump of bone on their nose, called a boss. This bony lump was positioned where other frilled dinosaurs, like , had their nose horns.

Achelousaurus was a fairly large plant-eating dinosaur that looked similar in body type to the other larger members of its North American family. There is ongoing discussion as to whether this dinosaur warrants its own genus. There seems to be ongoing speculation that it is a species of Pachyrhinosaurus, perhaps showing gender differentiation. Most likely, it will take a more complete specimen to settle the debate. It is at present considered by many to be somewhere between the Pachyrhinosaurus and Einiosaurus.

 

 

 

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November 6, 2005:  Added this page.

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