An extravagant frill
Long spikes projected from the back edge of the frill, giving the skull its unmistakable outline.
A REAL DINOSAUR. A SUSPICIOUSLY FAMILIAR PERSONALITY.
STYRACOSAURUS.
Subtlety was never an option.
You have never once thought ‘perhaps this is too much’ and meant it. Your style has a point of view. Several points, actually. People remember meeting you.
SIGNATURE MOVEMaking the dress code more of a starting suggestion.
SPECIMEN 20 / LATE CRETACEOUS
STYRACOSAURUS ALBERTENSIS · HERBIVORE
STYRACOSAURUS ALBERTENSIS · HERBIVOREConnor Ashbridge · CC BY 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Meet the actual dinosaur THE ACTUAL SCIENCE STARTS HERE
Meet the real Styracosaurus.
The jokes are ours.
The animal was very real.
- WHEN
- About 76–75 million years ago
- ON THE MENU
- Herbivore
- LENGTH
- About 5–5.5 m
- BODY MASS
- About 2–3 tonnes
One dominant horn
A large nasal horn was more prominent than the smaller ornaments above the eyes.
A centrosaurine
Styracosaurus belonged to a different ceratopsid branch from Triceratops.
Shearing vegetation
A beak and densely packed teeth helped crop and process plants.
Canadian fossils
Classic specimens come from Alberta's Dinosaur Park Formation.
Individual differences
Skull ornaments could vary substantially between individuals, including asymmetrical arrangements.
A little room for discovery.
Horn and frill variation makes species identification challenging. Their exact display and combat functions remain uncertain.
Read more: Styracosaurus on Wikipedia · Research and references. Facts are summarized in our own words. Size and date ranges are approximate; estimates vary by specimen and study. Gallery images may include other species within the genus.
A closer look.
Fossils, museum displays, and published reconstructions. Artwork shows an interpretation; it is not a photograph of a living dinosaur.
Is this your prehistoric alter ego?
Eight questions and an optional face scan will settle this. Very unofficially.