Name:
Leptoceratops (Greek for "small horned face"); pronounced LEP-toe-SER-ah-tops
Habitat:
Plains of western North America
Historical Period:
Late Cretaceous (70 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 6 feet long and 200 pounds
Diet:
Plants
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Slender build; small protuberances on face
About Leptoceratops:
Leptoceratops is a good object lesson in how "primitive" animals can live directly alongside their more evolved cousins. This ceratopsian belonged to the same family as more florid dinosaurs like Triceratops and Styracosaurus, but its facial armament was on the minimal side (only a short frill and a curved lower jaw), and it was significantly smaller. In this respect, it was smaller even than the most common ceratopsian of the Cretaceous period, Protoceratops.
