Tetraceratops
Tetraceratops Temporal range: Early Permian,
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Holotype | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Synapsida |
Clade: | Pantherapsida
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Genus: | †Tetraceratops Matthew, 1908 |
Type species | |
†Tetraceratops insignis Matthew, 1908
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Tetraceratops insignis ("four-horned face emblem") is an
Description
Tetraceratops is known from a single 90-millimetre-long (3.5 in) skull discovered in Texas in the early 1900s. Contrary to its genus name, Tetraceratops actually has six horns, one pair being on the premaxilla bones, one pair on the prefrontal bones, and one pair on the angular processes of the mandible. When it was discovered and described in 1908, the skull was still embedded in a matrix, and only the premaxilla and prefrontal pairs were visible. In life, thus, it would have resembled a large lizard with four horns on its snout, and a pair of large spines emanating from the corners of its jaw.
In addition to horns, Tetraceratops also had an impressive set of
Classification
Tetraceratops was originally identified as a member of a group called
See also
- List of synapsids
- Evolution of mammals