Episode 294 is all about Albertaceratops, a relative of Styracosaurus (centrosaurine) that looks more like a Triceratops (chasmosaurine).
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In this episode, we discuss:
News:
- A new ornithodiran Kongonaphon was described from Madagascar source
- Two penguins were brought to the Chicago Field Museum source
- Liverpool, UK is showing a drive-in concert called Dinosaur World Live source
- An iconic T. rex in Tucson, AZ is now wearing a mask source
- A Florida man mounted a life-size T. rex head to his Jeep, it’s now for sale source
- Chris Pratt released the winner of Jurassic World: Dominion’s All In Challenge—who will be eaten in the upcoming movie source
The dinosaur of the day: Albertaceratops
- Centrosaurine ceratopsian that lived in the Late Cretaceous in what is now Alberta, Canada (Oldman Formation)
- Estimated to be about 19 ft (5.8 m) long and weigh 7,700 lb (3,500 kg)
- Herbivorous
- Basal centrosaurine
- Unlike other centrosaurines, had two long brow horns (chasmosaurs are known for their brow horns)
- No nasal horn, instead had a bony ridge or bump on the top of its snout
- Had two holes in the frill
- Frill had two small horns that curved out to the sides
- Horns on the frill may have been for self defense (against Daspletosaurus) or display
- Found a complete skull in August 2001
- Named in 2007 by Michael Ryan
- Type species Albertaceratops nesmoi
- Genus name means “Alberta horned face”
- Species name in honor of Cecil Nesmo, a local rancher who has supported paleontology in the area
- More specimens thought to be Albertaceratops were found in Montana in the Judith River Formation, but later found to be a new centrosaurine, Medusaceratops
- Michael Ryan and others found in 2010 that the Judith River Formation fossils thought to be Albertaceratops were Medusaceratops. Found they’re close relatives but some differences in the skull. Biggest one is while Albertaceratops had one pair of hooks coming out the side of its frill, Medusaceratops had two
- David Evans and Michael Ryan started a Southern Alberta Dinosaur Research Group in 2005, along with colleagues from the Royal Tyrrell, University of Alberta, and University of Calgary, because southern Alberta has potentially many dinosaurs, but it’s a pretty remote area
- The support of local ranchers in the area is key for finding dinosaurs and doing research. The group, SADRG, helps researchers, government agencies, and local residents work together
Fun Fact: Pterosaurs are almost “flying dinosaurs”. The “swimming dinosaurs” mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, and especially Megalodon are more distantly related.
