Turanoceratops

Turanoceratops was an early horned dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous in what is now Uzbekistan. Found in the coastal plain deposits of the Bissekty Formation, it measured roughly two metres long and weighed approximately two hundred kilograms. Notably, it possessed distinctive brow horns positioned directly above its eye sockets and double-rooted teeth, features otherwise characteristic of true Ceratopsidae. Its evolutionary placement provoked vigorous debate among researchers: some consider it an early Asian member of Ceratopsidae, while others view it as an advanced sister taxon that evolved true brow horns independently. Turanoceratops was an obligate four-legged herbivore, using its sturdy shearing beak to crop tough scrub vegetation. Its discovery provides crucial clues regarding the biogeographic origins and dispersal of horned dinosaurs between Asia and North America.

It represents one of the closest evolutionary cousins to true ceratopsids found in Asia.

Where and when

Turanoceratops lived in the Late Cretaceous, from 92 to 89 million years ago (Turonian age). Its remains come from Uzbekistan, in the Bissekty Formation.

The numbers

Length 2.3 m (estimates run from 2 to 2.5 m). Mass about 190 kg. Hip height about 0.8 m. That is 1.4 human-lengths, or 0.21 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from partial skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, hip height.

Compare Turanoceratops with a bus Place on the timeline