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The Big Dinosaur Podcast

The Big Dinosaur Podcast

A site about dinosaurs

I Know Dino Podcast: Aquilops (Episode 13)

Episode 13 is all about Aquilops, a small eagle-faced dinosaur that was discovered purely by chance.

You can listen to our free podcast, with all our episodes, on iTunes at:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/i-know-dino/id960976813?mt=2

In this episode, we discuss:

  • The dinosaur of the day: Aquilops americanus, which means American eagle face
  • The name Aquilops comes from its hook-like beak on the front of the skull
  • Dr. Andrew Farke from the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology and his team discovered Aquilops (only the skull)
  • The excavation was funded by the National Geographic Society’s Committee for Research and Exploration
  • The team’s research was published in December 2014
  • Farke spotted Aquilops by chance when a flash of white caught his eye (its teeth embedded in a rock)
  • The team that found Aquilops made up how its body looked, based on how close relatives looked
  • Aquilops lived in southern Montana in the early Cretaceous (team found it in the Cloverly Formation in 1997)
  • Aquilops lived about 106 million years ago, and is the oldest “horned” dinosaur from North America; about 20 million years older than the next one
  • Aquilops is more closely related to dinosaurs from Asia than from later horned dinosaurs from North America; this helps prove that animals traveled between continents at that time (migration)
  • Aquilops shows that horned dinosaurs came from Asia and went to North America via the Bering Strait about 108 million years ago
  • But because Aquilops is so distantly related to North American horned dinosaurs, scientists think there were two or more migrations in the later Cretaceous
  • Farke nicknamed Aquilops “the little dinosaur that could” because it was so small and made such a long journey
  • At first, scientists thought Aquilops was a different dinosaur, Zephyrosaurus
  • Aquilops has a rostral bone (forms the upper beak and makes it a horned dinosaur) with a strange bump/prong on the front; it’s unclear what the bump was for (fighting, digging, etc)
  • Aquilops was small, about the size of a raven with the body mass of a bunny; though this estimate comes from only having a skull and no body
  • The Aquilops that was found was probably not fully grown (based on bone texture), but was not a baby either (no limbs bones, so it’s hard to tell the age)
  • Scientists named Aquilops its own species because of the unique shape of the beak and other distinguishing characteristics of the skull
  • Part of the Ceratopsia group, horned dinosaurs
  • Aquilops did not have horns or a neck frill, like Triceratops the most famous Ceratopsia
  • Aquilops weighed 3.5 lb and was 24 in long; skull is about 3.3 inches long
  • Aquilops snipped off ferns, saplings, and other plants with its beak; probably walked on two legs; had a long tail
  • Scientists made 3D models of Aquilops and will add to it as they learn more
  • Aquilops is about 40 million years older than Triceratops; Triceratops weighed 4,000 times more
  • Very few fossils of ceratopsians in North America from early Cretaceous have been found
  • Finding more Aquilops will take luck (so small); Aquilops is the only ceratopsian found in the Cloverly Formation so far
  • Aquilops may be part of a “side branch” of the ceratopsian family tree, one with small horned dinosaurs in the early Cretaceous
  • Aquilops‘ skull is at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History in Norman, OK; as part of a new exhibit in the Hall of Ancient Life, next to the Pentaceratops exhibit, which has the Guiness World Record for largest dinosaur skull found
  • Aquilops is part of the Neoceratopsian group
  • Neoceratopsians came from Asia
  • Othniel Charles Marsh named Ceratopsians in 1890 (the name means horn face)
  • Early ancestors lived in the Jurassic
  • Ceratopsians had a rostral bone on their upper jaw (no other animal has or ever has had this) that forms a parrot-like beak; they have a triangular looking skull
  • Early ceratopsians were small and bipedal, though later ones such as Triceratops were large, quadrapedal and had horns and neck frills. Frills may have been used for protection, thermoregulation, or display
  • Ceratopsians have beaks and lived in North America, Europe and Asia during the Cretaceous.
  • At least some types of ceratopsians lived in herds
  • Like modern herds that migrate, ceratopsians would have greatly impacted their environment and been a major food source
  • Though ceratopsians are usually considered to be herbivores, scientists have speculated that some may have been omnivorous
  • Ceratopsians may have been cathemeral, active during the day for short periods of time
  • Can see a wall of Ceratopsian skulls at the Natural History Museum of Utah (we’ve seen)
  • Fun fact: Scientists think there are more than 1,000 species of non-avian dinosaurs, and many are still discovered (may be more than 1,800 different genera)

Aquilops: Eagle Face Dinosaur

From high overhead, no one can see the tiny dinosaur perusing the plants on the ground. Weighing only 3.5 pounds and 24 inches long, Aquilops, one of the smallest dinosaurs, uses its beak to snip off plants with its hook-like beak.

But none of the ferns or saplings nearby are of interest. Aquilops doesn’t mind foraging. It has just spent the last few months with its herd walking across the Beiring Strait from its home in Asia to find a new area to settle in North America.

The journey had been long and daunting, and not everyone made it. But Aquilops never gave up hope, and the thought of new, tasty foods keeps it going. So it doesn’t mind walking a little further in search for vegetation.

Aquilops walks on two legs, its long tail helping to keeps its balance. On two legs, it can move faster, and though Aquilops hasn’t quite found the perfect meal yet, it is getting hungry.

Deciding to change course, Aquilops bends down, using the prong on its rostral bone to dig for food. At first, nothing good comes up. Then Aquilops’ prong hits a root. Curious, Aquilops cuts off a piece with its beak and tastes it.

The root has a sweet taste, and hits the spot. Aquilops digs to find more, grunting with pleasure.

Soon other Aquilops join the little dinosaur. But Aquilops is not willing to share with its herd. It stops digging and moves to cover the spot in the ground where it found the tasty root. It grunts, this time as a warning.

Most of the others back away, not willing to fight over an unknown plant. But one stays behind. It shuffles its feet, ready to attack.

Aquilops gets angry. It found the food first; it should not have to share. It lowers its head, preparing to strike with its prong.

After a few moments, the two dinosaurs run at each other. They hit one another with their prongs.

Aquilops feels the sting of the first blow, but that only fuels its anger. It moves backwards a couple steps only to run forward again, this time with greater momentum.

The other Aquilops is ready and braces itself for the impact. But Aquilops has much more force than it anticipated, and this time part of the second Aquilops’ breaks. The pain is so intense, the second Aquilops cries out and quickly shuffles away.

Proud, Aquilops returns triumphantly to its meal. It digs into the roots without any hesitation, savoring every bite. The months of walking and struggling were worth it, for this meal. This new land will give Aquilops a lot of opportunities, and it looks forward to digging up other new plants.

Though Aquilops is a juvenile, it will not grow much bigger, but it will lay the groundwork for its bigger descendants. 40 million years into the future, Triceratops, one of the most famous ceratopsians, will walk through the same area. Unlike Aquilops, Triceratops will have horns and a neck frill. And it will be 4,000 times bigger.

Facts about Aquilops:

  • The name Aquilops means “eagle face”
  • Aquilops was the size of a raven, with the mass of a bunny (3.5 pounds, 24 inches long)
  • Aquilops is an early horned dinosaur, despite not having horns or a neck frill
  • It lived 40 million years before Triceratops, which was 4,000 times its size
  • Aquilops came from Asia, probably crossing the Beiring Strait; it is more closely related to Asian dinosaurs than North American ones
  • Aquilops had a hook like beak, and a prong on its rostral bone (may have been from fighting or digging)
  • It walked on two legs, had a long tail, and snipped off ferns and saplings with its beak

Find out more in the I Know Dino podcast, episode 13, “Aquilops.”

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