Ajkaceratops is a type of dinosaur that lived around 85 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period. It was discovered in Europe, specifically in a place known as the western Tethyan archipelago.
The name Ajkaceratops comes from the town of Ajka in Hungary, where fossils were found, and “ceratops” means “horned face” in Greek. The specific name “kozmai” honors a scientist named Károly Kozma.
The fossils of Ajkaceratops are not very complete but include some skull fragments, such as parts of the snout and jaw. These fossils are kept in the Hungarian Natural History Museum in Budapest. Scientists believe that Ajkaceratops was about 1 meter long, which is around 3.3 feet.
Originally, Ajkaceratops was thought to be related to other horned dinosaurs called ceratopsians. It seemed similar to a dinosaur from Asia called Bagaceratops. However, further research has shown that it might not fully fit into this group. The parts of the skull, particularly the beak, look quite different from those of known ceratopsians. This means that Ajkaceratops might be a unique type of dinosaur that does not easily fit into the usual categories.
Ajkaceratops lived in a diverse environment where many other dinosaurs, birds, and reptiles also thrived. Its fossils were found in layers of rock that show it lived in a landscape made up of channels and floodplains, indicating it had a rich ecosystem around it.
Ajkaceratops teaches us about the variety of dinosaurs that once roamed the Earth and highlights how scientists are always learning more about these ancient creatures.