Open Paleo

Spinops

Farke et al., 2011 SPIEN-ops

From Latin 'spina' (spine, thorn) + Greek 'ops' (face, appearance), meaning 'spine face' or 'thorn face', referring to the prominent spines and horns on the frill of this ceratopsian.

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

Spinops is an extinct genus of centrosaurine ceratopsian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta, southern Canada. It was a medium-sized ceratopsian, reaching 4.5 meters (15 ft) in length and 1.3 metric tons (1.4 short tons) in body mass.

Diagnosis

  1. Procurving hook (P1 epiparietal) on caudal margin of parietal with straight, caudally-projecting spike immediately lateral
  2. Short postorbital horncores that project dorsally
  3. Nasal horn core longer than postorbital horncores
  4. P1 hooks and their proximity to caudally-projecting spike unique among ceratopsids except Centrosaurus
  5. Caudally-projecting spike distinguishes from Centrosaurus spp.

Species

Spinops sternbergorum Farke et al., 2011

Type species

Named for Charles H. Sternberg and Levi Sternberg, father and son, the commercial fossil collectors who discovered the specimens in Alberta in 1916.

Holotype
NHMUK PV R 16307 , Natural History Museum
Material
Partial parietal bone preserving most of the midline bar and portion of lateral rami
Horizon
Campanian, Late Cretaceous , 83.6–72.2 million years ago
Locality
one mile below the mouth of Berry Creek, Alberta, Canada Farke and colleagues (2011) place the quarry in either the upper Oldman Formation or the lower Dinosaur Park Formation, reading the palynology as consistent with the uppermost few meters of the Oldman or with any level in the Dinosaur Park. The quarry has not been relocated.

References

  1. Farke, A. A.; Ryan, M. J.; Barrett, P. M.; Tanke, D. H.; Braman, D. R.; Loewen, M. A.; Graham, M. R. (2011). A New Centrosaurine from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada, and the Evolution of Parietal Ornamentation in Horned Dinosaurs. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 56(4): 691-702. Polska Akademia Nauk Instytut Paleobiologii (Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences). doi:10.4202/app.2010.0121 farke2011a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Ornithischians. Princeton University Press.

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

    jones2026a