Agujaceratops is an extinct dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, around 77 million years ago.
The name “Agujaceratops” means “horned face from Aguja,” referring to where this dinosaur was discovered in west Texas. It belongs to a group of dinosaurs called ceratopsians, specifically the chasmosaurines, which are known for their large frills and horns.
There are two known species of Agujaceratops:
1. Agujaceratops mariscalensis
2. Agujaceratops mavericus
The first species, Agujaceratops mariscalensis, was originally discovered in 1938 when dinosaur bones were found in Big Bend National Park, Texas. It was named by a scientist named Lehman in 1989, who initially classified it as a different dinosaur but later agreed it should have its own genus, Agujaceratops, in 2006.
Later studies found more fossil material, leading to the identification of the second species, Agujaceratops mavericus, which was described in 2016.
Agujaceratops was a large dinosaur, measuring about 14 feet long and weighing around 1.5 tons. It had a short nose horn, long brow horns that pointed upwards and then curved backwards, and a frill at the back of its head decorated with small hornlets.
Being a plant-eater, Agujaceratops walked on four legs. Its unique horns and frills likely played a role in social behavior, helping it communicate and compete with others of its kind for mates or territory.
Fossils show that Agujaceratops may have lived in a swampy area, and it shared its environment with other dinosaurs like Leptorhynchos, a feathered dinosaur, and Texacephale, a small dinosaur with a thick skull.
Possible predators of Agujaceratops included large carnivorous dinosaurs like tyrannosaurs and a giant crocodile known as Deinosuchus.
Agujaceratops is an interesting dinosaur that helps us understand the diversity of life that existed millions of years ago.