Open Paleo

Sinoceratops

Xu et al., 2010 SIEN-o-SEH-ruh-tops /ˌsaɪnoʊˈsɛrətɒps/

From Latin Sinae, "Chinese", combined with Greek keras, "horn", and ops, "face" — means "Chinese horned face"

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

Sinoceratops is an extinct genus of ceratopsian dinosaur that lived from 77.3 to 73.5 million years ago during the latter part of the Cretaceous Period in what is now Shandong province in China. It was named in 2010 by Xu Xing and colleagues for three skulls from Zhucheng, China. The name of the type species Sinoceratops zhuchengensis means "Chinese horned face from Zhucheng", after the location of its discovery. Sinoceratops was a medium-sized, averagely-built, ground-dwelling, quadrupedal herbivore. It could grow up to an estimated 5 meters (16 ft) in length and weigh up to 2 tonnes (2.0 long tons; 2.2 short tons).

Diagnosis

  1. Large centrosaurine ceratopsid with at least ten robust, strongly curved horn-like processes along the posterior margin of the parietals and at least four horn-like processes on the squamosals
  2. Large accessory fenestra anterior to the antorbital fenestra
  3. Weakly undulated external margin of the parietals
  4. Broadly based epoccipitals

Species

Sinoceratops zhuchengensis Xu et al., 2010

Type species

Named for Zhucheng, the city in Shandong Province, China where the holotype skulls were discovered and which also financed the excavations.

Holotype
ZCDM V0010 , Zhucheng Dinosaur Museum
Material
Partial skull with most elements of the skull roof and partial braincase
Horizon
Hongtuya Formation, Campanian, Late Cretaceous , 83.6–72.2 million years ago
Locality
Zangjiazhuang, Shandong, China

References

  1. Xu, X.; Wang, K.; Zhao, X.; Li, D. (2010). First ceratopsid dinosaur from China and its biogeographical implications. Chinese Science Bulletin 55(16): 1631-1635. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1007/s11434-009-3614-5 xu2010e
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Ornithischians. Princeton University Press.

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

    jones2026a
  3. An, W.; Kuang, H. W.; Liu, Y. Q.; Peng, N.; Xu, K. M.; Xu, H.; Zhang, P.; Wang, K. B.; Chen, S. Q.; Zhang, Y. X. (2015). Detrital zircon dating and tracing the provenance of dinosaur bone beds from the Late Cretaceous Wangshi Group in Zhucheng, Shandong, East China. Journal of Palaeogeography 5(1): 72-99. doi:10.1016/j.jop.2015.11.002

    Reports this species from the Hongtuya Formation, resolving the describing paper's bare Wangshi Group.

    an2015a