Styracosaurus

Say it like this: “sti-RAK-uh-SOR-uhs”

Styracosaurus albertensis

Styracosaurus ate plants and walked on four legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Canada.

Quiz me on Styracosaurus

When: Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago
Named in: 1913 · Lambe, L. M.
Hip height: 1.6–1.8 m · 5–6 ft
Length: 5–5.8 m · 16–19 ft
Weight: 1.8–2.7 tonnes
Found in: Canada · Dinosaur Park
Food and walking: Herbivore · Four legs
Kind: horned dinosaur · Ceratopsian
Family branch: Centrosaurinae

The story in short

In 1913, L. M. Lambe published the name Styracosaurus. The name means “spiked lizard.”

Fossils referred to Styracosaurus date to the Late Cretaceous (Campanian), roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago. Finds come from Canada, including the Dinosaur Park Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.

Published estimates put Styracosaurus at a length near 5–5.8 m, hips about 1.6–1.8 m high, and a body mass around 1.8–2.7 tonnes.

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

Close relatives

Achelousaurus

Achelousaurus horneri

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

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