Achelousaurus

Say it like this: “ak-e-LOH-uh-SAWR-us”

Achelousaurus horneri

Achelousaurus ate plants and walked on four legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in the United States.

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When: Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago
Named in: 1995 · Sampson, S. D.
Hip height: 2 m · 7 ft
Length: 6 m · 20 ft
Weight: 3 tonnes
Found in: the United States · Two Medicine
Food and walking: Herbivore · Four legs
Kind: horned dinosaur · Ceratopsian
Family branch: Centrosaurinae

The story in short

In 1995, S. D. Sampson published the name Achelousaurus. The name means “achelous lizard.”

Fossils referred to Achelousaurus date to the Late Cretaceous (Campanian), roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago. Finds come from the United States, including the Two Medicine Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.

Published estimates put Achelousaurus at a length near 6 m, hips about 2 m high, and a body mass around 3 tonnes.

On the family tree it sits in Centrosaurinae, among the horned dinosaurs.

Close relatives

Albertaceratops

Albertaceratops nesmoi

Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago

Avaceratops

Avaceratops lammersi

Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago

Centrosaurus

Centrosaurus apertus

Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago