Page 131 - Prehistoric Animals

Sty-Rak-O-Sorus

Styracosaurus
What is a Dinosaur ?
Known as a Dinosaur

Styracosaurus (spiked lizard) is a genus of herbivorous
ceratopsian* dinosaur from the Cretaceous Period (Campanian
stage), about 75 to 74 million years ago. It stood, on average,
around 2 metres tall, 5 to 6 metres in lengths and weighing in
about 2 to 3 tonnes. Named by, Lawrence Lambe in 1913, Styraco-
saurus albertensis, is the only recognised species of the genus
Styracosaurus. However, other species have been found but were
found either to be of another genus or of the same species as S.
albertensis. One species, S. parksi, is waiting on confirmation.

Styracosaurus was a big powerful dinosaur. Its heavy body
with its short tail is often likened to the modern day rhinoceros. It
had four short muscular legs with a thick toe encased in horn on
each foot. Its hind legs were slightly longer than its front ones,
giving its body a downward slope. However, its Styracosaurus
strange head that attracts all the attention. It looks big. This is
due to the large bony neck frill protruding from the back of its
head. This frill is adorned with long horns; four point upward
from the top and one on each side of the frill pointing outward. It
also has a long horn, around 2ft long and 6 inches wide, just be-
hind its horned beak snout. Although an herbivore, its mouth was
lined with just sharp cutting teeth an indication it shredded its
food before swallowing, rather than grinding it to pulp, as is the
norm for herbivores with blunt teeth.

With its forward sloping body, Styracosaurus head would
have hung low, giving it an aggressive looking posture. However,
fossil evidence suggests it browsed in a herd. Animals usually
herd together for protection knowing most predators are cautious
about attacking a herd for fear they may get injured. Herbivores
are not known to be aggressive to the point of being killers of oth-
er animals; that’s the roll of a predatory carnivore. As an herbi-
vore its believe Styracosaurus was a bit of a gentle giant, and
there’s no evidence to the contrary. If that’s correct; then why
would it need a bony frill and an array of sharp horns? There are
many theories; however, no one has yet put forward a plausible
answer. Like the cause of its disappearance, its bony frill and
horns are just another mystery surrounding this gentle giant.

*Ceratopsia or Ceratopia (horned faces) (Wikipedia)
is a group of herbivorous, beaked dinosaurs that thrived in what are now
North America, Europe, and Asia, during the Cretaceous Period, although ancestral
forms lived earlier, in the Jurassic.