Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Meet the Ceratopsian Class of 2010

As I've said before, 2010 has really been the Year of the Ceratopsian. Here are the new guys, in no particular order. Give 'em a round of applause--they've basically doubled the group's diversity, and they're JUST SO COOL.

Psittacosaurus gobiensis ("Yet another Psittacosaurus)
Claim to Fame: Supposedly shows evidence for how the jaw worked in the genus
Favorite Movie: Multiplicity
Image Credit: The Internet


Archaeoceratops yungjingziensis ("Bits and pieces of a horned face")
Claim to Fame: Hey, it's another species of Archaeoceratops!
Favorite Movie: Disney's Dinosaur!
Image Credit: I have no idea via the Internet


Ajkaceratops ("Part of a horned face")
Claim to Fame: Europe's first ceratopsian.
Favorite Movie: National Lampoon's European Vacation
Image credit: The paper


Sinoceratops ("Fung-Fu horned face")
Claim to Fame: China's first ceratopsid...much less centrosaurine ceratopsid!
Favorite Movie: Big Trouble in Little China
Image Credit: Olorotitan on DeviantArt



Tatankaceratops ("Like a corgi version of Triceratops")
Claim to Fame: Adorable miniature version of Triceratops
Favorite Movie: Twins
Image Credit: The paper


Diabloceratops ("Fiddle-playing horned face")
Claim to Fame: Very basal centrosaurine, narrow frill, odd nasal decorations
Favorite Movie: End of Days
Image Credit: Olorotitan on DeviantArt



Ojoceratops ("Triceratops 8 - THE OJO")
Claim to Fame: Like Triceratops with a rounded (instead of squared-off) squamosal
Favorite Movie: Bowfinger
Image Credit: The Internet


Medusaceratops ("Snake-haired horned face")
Caim to Fame: Basically a chasmosaurine version of Albertaceratops
Favorite Movie: Clash of the Titans
Image Credit: D. Sloan via the paper



Rubeosaurus ("Country bumpkin lizard")
Claim to Fame: Formerly known as Styracosaurus ovatus, has a ridiculously large nasal horn
Favorite Movie: Anything with Adrian Brody
Image Credit: Lukas Panzarin



Coahuilaceratops ("Spring Break horned face")
Claim to Fame: Mexico's first ceratopian; most difficult name to pronounce in all the Ceratopsidae; ridiculously long brow horns
Favorite Movie: Traffic
Image Credit: Lukas Panzarin



Kosmoceratops ("Show-off horned face")
Claim to Fame: Most complicated combination of spikes and hors of any known ceratopsid; brow horns point laterally and arc down along their length
Favorite Movie: Hellraiser
Image Credit: Lukas Panzarin



Utahceratops ("Creatively bankrupt horned face")
Claim to Fame: Small brow horns point laterally, nasal horn sits in front of nasal opening
Favorite Movie: Raising Arizona
Image Credit: Lukas Panzarin



Mojoceratops ("Groovy horned face")
Claim to Fame: Formerly Chasmosaurus kaiseni, named in a pub
Favorite Movie: Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Image Credit: Nick Longrich via the Internet



Vagaceratops ("Took a year off before college horned face")
Claim to Fame: Formerly Chasmosaurus irvinensis, lacks brow horns entirely, epiparietals fold down over parietal fenestrae
Favorite Movie: Road Trip
Image Credit: The Internet

5 comments:

Jay said...

Medusaceratops???


Tatankaceratops is the same as Triceratops

And since your post is on new ceratopsians of 2010,
you also missed several non-ceratopsid ceratopsians.

Eg. Archaeoceratops yujingziensis 2010, and Psittacosaurus gobiensis (technically published 2010, although known since 2009)

Glendon Mellow said...

Zach, I gotta say I'm surprised you didn't cite the artwork with the art. There's some amazing illustrations here, and you've left a little random list at the end.

Sorry to bust your chops, but I'm surprised coming from an artistically-talented guy like yourself.

Zach said...

Glendon, I'll fix that later today, you're right. I threw this together kind of hap-hazardly yesterday. And Jay, I'll certainly add Medusaceratops and the two little guys. I totally forgot about them!

Glendon Mellow said...

Cool, Zach.

"Spring break horned face" lol

Mike Walley said...

What an amazing year for Ceratopsian discoveries. Hopefully, the book just ordered from the Royal Tyrrell (New Perspectives on Horned Dinosaurs) will shed a little more light.