Avaceratops is a small, extinct dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 77 million years ago. This dinosaur was a herbivore, meaning it only ate plants. Fossils of Avaceratops have mostly been found in the Northwest United States, particularly in the Judith River Formation of Montana.
**Discovery of Avaceratops**
The story of Avaceratops began in 1981 when a man named Eddie Cole found the first bones in Montana. These bones were scattered in a prehistoric stream bed, suggesting that the dinosaur might have been washed away by a current before it was buried.
Later, Peter Dodson studied these bones and named the dinosaur in 1986. He chose “Avaceratops,” which means “Ava’s horned face,” after Ava Cole, Eddie’s wife. The species name, “lammersi,” honors the Lammers family who owned the land where the fossils were found.
**Physical Features**
Avaceratops was originally thought to be quite small, around 2.3 meters long. However, some later discoveries suggested it could be larger, possibly around 4.2 meters. Like other ceratopsians, it had a distinctive frill at the back of its head.
Avaceratops had short horn-like structures above its eyes, and its frill was unique, with a smooth edge instead of a stepped one. The frill was likely solid with few holes, making it different from many other similar dinosaurs.
**Classification**
Avaceratops belongs to the Ceratopsidae family, which includes other horned dinosaurs. It is part of a group called Centrosaurinae. Paleontologists find it challenging to classify Avaceratops because its remains mainly come from a young dinosaur, which can show different features than an adult.
Some studies suggest Avaceratops was closely related to another dinosaur called Nasutoceratops. Together, they formed a group named Nasutoceratopsini.
**Diet and Habitat**
As a herbivore, Avaceratops likely fed on plants that were common at the time, including ferns and conifers. It had a sharp beak to help it eat leaves. Avaceratops lived in a heavily forested and moist environment, which provided plenty of food.
In summary, Avaceratops was a unique small dinosaur with distinctive features that lived millions of years ago in wet, forested areas of what is now the United States.