| Albertaceratops | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Skull inPhilip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | †Ornithischia |
| Clade: | †Ceratopsia |
| Family: | †Ceratopsidae |
| Subfamily: | †Centrosaurinae |
| Clade: | †Albertaceratopsini |
| Genus: | †Albertaceratops Ryan, 2007 |
| Species: | †A. nesmoi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Albertaceratops nesmoi Ryan, 2007 | |
Albertaceratops (meaning "Alberta horned face") is agenus ofcentrosaurinehorneddinosaur from the middleCampanian-ageUpper CretaceousOldman Formation ofAlberta,Canada.[1]
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Albertaceratops is unusual in combining long browhorns with an otherwise centrosaurine skull, as centrosaurines normally possess short brow horns. Over its nose was a bony ridge, and on itsfrill were two large outwardly-projecting hooks.[1] Its size has been estimated at 5.8 metres (19 ft) and 3,500 kilograms (7,700 lb).[2]
Albertaceratops is known from a single complete skull (TMP.2001.26.1) found in August 2001 and skull and postcranial fragments. Aphylogenetic analysis carried out by its describer, Michael J. Ryan, found it to be the most basal centrosaurine.[1] Additional specimens were reported from a bonebed in theJudith River Formation ofMontana, which is equivalent to the Oldman Formation and differentiated only by theCanada–US border. However, further study showed these remains to come from a different centrosaurine,Medusaceratops. Both ceratopsids lived during the same time period, about 77.5 million years ago.[3]
The specific name,A. nesmoi, is derived from the name of Cecil Nesmo, a rancher living inManyberries,Alberta, a town of less than 100 people located 71 km south of Medicine Hat. The rancher was thus honored in recognition of his efforts to aidfossil hunters.[1]
Thecladogram presented below follows a phylogenetic analysis by Chibaet al. (2017), which included a systematic re-evaluation ofMedusaceratops lokii:[4]
| Centrosaurinae |
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