LegendaryAuroraceratops
Auroraceratops rugosus
aw-ROR-ah-SERR-a-tops· “dawn horned face”
🦕 Dinosaur🕰️ Cretaceous🌿 herbivore🦴 Ceratopsia
1.3 m
Length
0.5 m
Height
15 kg
Weight
A small, early horned dinosaur from China that walked on two legs and had a short, frilled skull with bumpy ridges. It captures the ceratopsian family early on, before horns and big frills evolved.
When
Early Cretaceous, ~120–100 million years ago
Found in
China
Discovered
You Hailu, 2005
Did you know?
- An early, two-legged horned dinosaur from China.
- Its skull bore rough, bumpy ridges — hence 'rugosus'.
- Named 'dawn horned face' for its early place in ceratopsian history.
Artwork: Raingerr, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.