Open Paleo

Lokiceratops

Loewen et al., 2024 LOW-kee-SEH-ruh-tops

Named for Loki, the Norse god, combined with Greek 'ceratops' meaning 'horned face' (from 'keras' meaning 'horn' and 'ops' meaning 'face'), hence 'Loki horned face'. The species name 'rangiformis' means 'reindeer-shaped' in reference to its elaborate ornamentation.

83.6–72.2 million years ago Campanian, Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous stages

Lokiceratops is an extinct genus of centrosaurine ceratopsian dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) Judith River Formation of Montana, United States. The genus contains a single species, L. rangiformis, known from most of the skull and a partial skeleton. Four other ceratopsians are known from the same stratigraphic interval as Lokiceratops-more than in any other locality-suggesting that this clade was very diverse during the Late Cretaceous of northern Laramidia.

Diagnosis

  1. Presence of unadorned nasal
  2. Elongate, uncurved ep1 epiossification directed in plane of frill along posterior margin of parietosquamosal frill
  3. Hypertrophied, lateral curving epiparietal ep2 directed in plane of frill, relatively larger than any other parietal epiossification within Centrosaurinae
  4. Both ischia distinctly kinked distally at about two-thirds of shaft length where ischia contact medially
  5. Postorbital horncore bases deeply excavated by sinuses penetrating a distance equivalent to the orbital diameter of each horncore

Species

Lokiceratops rangiformis Loewen et al., 2024

Type species

From Latin 'rangiformis' meaning 'reindeer-shaped', referencing the mammal genus Rangifer (caribou or reindeer) whose antlers are bilaterally asymmetrical like the frill ornamentations of Lokiceratops.

Holotype
EMK 0012 , Museum of Evolution, Knuthenborg
Material
Associated disarticulated skull and partial skeleton with skull elements (rostral, premaxillae, maxillae, nasals, lacrimals, jugals, frontals, palpebrals, postorbitals, squamosals, parietals, left pterygoid, partial braincase), cervical vertebra, right scapula and coracoid, both ischia, sacrum with sacrodorsals and sacrocaudals, anterior free caudal vertebra, and chevron.
Horizon
lower McClelland Ferry Member, Judith River Formation, Campanian, Late Cretaceous , 83.6–72.2 million years ago
Locality
Loki Quarry, Kennedy Coulee, Montana, United States

References

  1. Loewen, M. A.; Sertich, J. J. W.; Sampson, S.; O'Connor, J. K.; Carpenter, S.; Sisson, B.; Øhlenschlæger, A.; Farke, A. A.; Makovicky, P. J.; Longrich, N.; Evans, D. C. (2024). Lokiceratops rangiformis gen. et sp. nov. (Ceratopsidae: Centrosaurinae) from the Campanian Judith River Formation of Montana reveals rapid regional radiations and extreme endemism within centrosaurine dinosaurs. PeerJ 12: e17224. PeerJ. doi:10.7717/peerj.17224 loewen2024a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Ornithischians. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the hip height estimate, and the appearance features.

    jones2026a