Styracosaurus
sty-RAK-oh-SORE-us
"spiked lizard"
- Lived
- 84 to 72 million years ago, Late Cretaceous
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Length
- about 5.5 m (18 ft)
- Group
- Ceratopsians, Ceratopsidae
- Found in
- Canada
- Named by
- Lambe 1913
Size comparison
To scale
Scale in meters
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
80 million years ago
Habitat
Rivers crossed a low coastal plain in the Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta. Parasaurolophus, Struthiomimus and Corythosaurus were among the dinosaurs of this region.
Field notes
About Styracosaurus
What it was like
Styracosaurus had a long, curved horn on its nose and a bony neck frill ringed with several long spikes. Its beak and rows of tightly packed cheek teeth were built for slicing tough plants. It grew to roughly 5.5 meters (18 feet) long and walked on four short, sturdy legs.
Scientists still debate what the horn and spiked frill were used for. They may have helped Styracosaurus recognize others of its species, attract mates, or defend itself against predators.
Its world
Styracosaurus lived from about 84 to 72 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous, in what is now Alberta, Canada. Its fossils come from the Dinosaur Park Formation.
It shared this world with the horned Triceratops, the crested Parasaurolophus, the thick-skulled Pachycephalosaurus, the small predator Troodon, and the large hunters Gorgosaurus and Daspletosaurus.
How it was found
Lambe named Styracosaurus in 1913. About 10 fossil finds of the genus are known today, including bonebeds that suggest Styracosaurus may have lived and traveled in herds. It is considered a close relative of other horned dinosaurs such as Centrosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, and Triceratops.
Field gallery
More views of Styracosaurus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 7
Lived alongside
Found in the same rock formations
A rock formation can hold fossils laid down millions of years apart, so not every animal here met Styracosaurus.
The evidence
The science behind Styracosaurus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- Skulls preserve a long nasal horn, low brow ornaments and long spikes around the neck frill.
- Associated skeletons show a heavy body supported by four sturdy legs.
- Skulls differ in the size and direction of their frill spikes, sometimes even between the left and right sides.
Borrowed from relatives
- Much of its skeleton is known from its own bones; Centrosaurus helps fill gaps in the body and feet.
- Scaly skin is inferred from skin impressions in other horned dinosaurs, including Centrosaurus.
Still unknown
- The color of its skin, horns and frill.
- How it used its horn and frill when meeting other animals.
- Whether adults cared for their young.
Often drawn wrong
- Long brow horns like those of Triceratops replace its much lower brow ornaments.
- The openings in the bony frill were covered by skin rather than exposed as holes through the living neck shield.
- Perfectly matching frill spikes hide the differences found between individuals and between the sides of a skull.
Discovery timeline
- 1913Named itLambe
- 1997Growing upSAMPSON, RYAN & TANKE
- 2007Full descriptionRyan, Holmes & Russell
- 2020Growing upBrown, Holmes & Currie
- 2020SkullHolmes et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Styracosaurus
Named it
Named Styracosaurus from a horned skull and skeleton found in Alberta.
A new genus and species of Ceratopsia from the Belly River Formation of Alberta. The Ottawa Naturalist 27: 109-116
No link available
Growing up
Compared horn and frill development in Styracosaurus and its relatives, showing that prominent ornaments developed late in growth.
Craniofacial ontogeny in centrosaurine dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Ceratopsidae): taxonomic and behavioral implications. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 121: 293-337
Read the paper : Craniofacial ontogeny in centrosaurine dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Ceratopsidae): taxonomic and behavioral implications (opens in a new tab)Full description
Compared Styracosaurus skulls and bonebed material, refining its distinctive frill spikes and documenting variation between specimens.
A revision of the late campanian centrosaurine ceratopsid genusStyracosaurusfrom the Western Interior of North America. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 27: 944-962
Read the paper : A revision of the late campanian centrosaurine ceratopsid genusStyracosaurusfrom the Western Interior of North America (opens in a new tab)Growing up
Described a subadult with a complete skull, showing how the nasal horn and frill spikes changed during growth.
A subadult individual of Styracosaurus albertensis (Ornithischia: Ceratopsidae) with comments on ontogeny and intraspecific variation in Styracosaurus and Centrosaurus. Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology 8: 67-95
Read the paper : A subadult individual of Styracosaurus albertensis (Ornithischia: Ceratopsidae) with comments on ontogeny and intraspecific variation in Styracosaurus and Centrosaurus. (opens in a new tab)Skull
A skull with mismatched frill spikes revealed a wider range of variation within Styracosaurus.
Morphological variation and asymmetrical development in the skull of Styracosaurus albertensis. Cretaceous Research 107: 104308
Read the paper : Morphological variation and asymmetrical development in the skull of Styracosaurus albertensis (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Ceratopsidae
Sources: Wikidata