Question 1

How do you say Anchiceratops?

Accepted Answer

Anchiceratops is pronounced AN-key-SERR-ah-tops. Break it into four parts: AN, then key, then SERR, then tops. The stress falls on the third syllable, SERR. Say it a few times fast and you will have it: AN-key-SERR-ah-tops.

Question 2

What does Anchiceratops mean?

Accepted Answer

The name Anchiceratops means 'near-horned face' in Greek. The 'anchi' part means near or close to, 'cerat' means horn, and 'ops' means face. The type species is called Anchiceratops ornatus, where 'ornatus' is Latin for decorated or adorned, referring to the spiky edges of its frill.

Question 3

How big was Anchiceratops?

Accepted Answer

Anchiceratops grew to about 4.3 metres, or roughly 14 feet long, making it about the size of a full-size SUV. It was heavily built and likely weighed close to a ton. It was medium-sized for a ceratopsid dinosaur, smaller than Triceratops but still an impressively large animal.

Question 4

When did Anchiceratops live?

Accepted Answer

Anchiceratops lived during the Late Cretaceous Period, approximately 73 to 68 million years ago. That means it was alive very close to the end of the age of dinosaurs, which ended around 66 million years ago. It shared its world with other iconic Late Cretaceous dinosaurs in what is now Alberta, Canada.

Question 5

Was Anchiceratops related to Triceratops?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Anchiceratops and Triceratops were close relatives. Both are members of the family Ceratopsidae and the subfamily Chasmosaurinae. Anchiceratops actually lived before Triceratops, about 73 to 68 million years ago, while Triceratops lived right at the very end of the Cretaceous around 68 to 66 million years ago.

Question 6

What did Anchiceratops eat?

Accepted Answer

Anchiceratops was a herbivore, meaning it only ate plants. It used its sharp, toothless beak to clip ferns, shrubs, and other low-growing vegetation, then ground the food with rows of powerful cheek teeth. Scientists believe it was primarily a low browser, feeding on plants close to the ground rather than reaching up into trees.

Question 7

Where was Anchiceratops found?

Accepted Answer

All known Anchiceratops fossils have been found in Alberta, Canada, specifically in rock formations like the Horseshoe Canyon Formation in the badlands region. About a dozen skulls have been recovered, mostly from along the Red Deer River. Today these badlands look very different from the warm, swampy coastal floodplain where Anchiceratops once lived.

Question 8

Who discovered Anchiceratops?

Accepted Answer

Anchiceratops was first described by the legendary American paleontologist Barnum Brown in 1914. Brown was one of the greatest fossil hunters of the early twentieth century and is also famous for discovering the first T. rex skeleton. He found Anchiceratops material during expeditions to the Red Deer River region of Alberta, Canada.

Question 9

Was Anchiceratops dangerous?

Accepted Answer

Anchiceratops was not a predator, but it was certainly not defenseless. It had two long brow horns that could have been used to fight off predators like Albertosaurus, the large tyrannosaur that shared its habitat. Like modern buffalo or rhinos, a herd of Anchiceratops animals standing their ground together would have been an extremely dangerous obstacle for any predator.

Question 10

What made Anchiceratops different from other horned dinosaurs?

Accepted Answer

Anchiceratops had a very distinctive skull frill that was elongated and rectangular rather than rounded like many of its relatives. The edges of this frill were lined with large, coarse, triangular bony projections called epoccipitals, giving it a jagged, almost castle-wall appearance. This combination of features makes Anchiceratops one of the most visually recognizable ceratopsid dinosaurs.

Question 11

How many Anchiceratops fossils have been found?

Accepted Answer

About a dozen skulls of Anchiceratops have been found, which is actually a pretty good sample for a dinosaur. Most complete dinosaur species are known from far fewer specimens. Having multiple skulls has allowed scientists to study variation between individuals and debate whether there might be more than one species within the genus.

Question 12

What predators did Anchiceratops have to worry about?

Accepted Answer

Anchiceratops shared its Alberta habitat with large theropod dinosaurs that could have posed a threat, including Albertosaurus, a smaller relative of T. rex. Dromaeosaurids and other smaller predators also lived in the same ecosystem. Anchiceratops's horns and massive frill were likely important defenses, and group living would have provided additional protection from attacks.

Question 13

Did Anchiceratops live in herds?

Accepted Answer

Scientists think it is quite possible that Anchiceratops lived in groups, though direct proof of herding behavior is hard to establish from fossils alone. The discovery of multiple skulls from the same general area suggests these animals congregated in similar habitats. Many ceratopsids show evidence of group behavior, and living in herds would have provided safety in numbers against large predators.

Question 14

What was the frill on Anchiceratops for?

Accepted Answer

The frill of Anchiceratops was almost certainly used for display, to communicate with other members of its own species. It may have been brightly colored in life, used to attract mates or intimidate rivals, much like the colorful displays of modern birds. The frill could also have made the animal look larger and more threatening to predators when facing them head-on.

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