Ceratopsians were plant eating, horned dinosaurs with protruding beaks and prominent frills. Learn the about different variations of horns and frills between specimens that paleontologists have discovered. What were the horns used for? What were the frills used for? Book this exhibit for your venue today.
Exhibit Gallery
Exhibit Features
Size: 500-1000 square feet
Loan Period: 8-12 weeks
Content: 1 medium sized skeleton, various skulls, interpretive text panels
Options: Art package available, bilingual options
Exhibit Rental Information
The plant‐eating horned‐dinosaurs (ceratopsians, meaning ‘horned‐faced’) originated in Asia, during the Late Jurassic 150 million years ago. The earliest ceratopsians may have walked mostly on their hind legs and only had small horns on the sides of their face. Later species resembled Protoceratops. They had bodies ranging in size from large dogs to small bears. Most had lengthened the bones on the top of their skulls to form at least a short, distinctive frill that projected away from the back of their heads.
About 100 million years ago, some Asian ceratopsians migrated to North America. The family Ceratopsidae notable for their large bodies and frill quickly evolved. All the large‐bodied horned dinosaurs (ceratopsids) walked on all fours, had a large head and frill supported by a short, strong neck. The body and relatively short tail were held high off the ground. All horned dinosaurs had a beak at the front of their jaws that would have allowed them to snip off woody plant material which was then sliced by the jaws and finally processed in a fermenting gut that extracted nutrients.
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