Name:
Styracosaurus (Greek for "spiked lizard"); pronounced STIH-rack-oh-SORE-usHabitat:
Woodlands of North AmericaHistorical Period:
Late Cretaceous (75-70 million years ago)Size and Weight:
About 17 feet long and 3 tonsDiet:
PlantsDistinguishing Characteristics:
Elaborate head with giant frill, horns and spikesAbout Styracosaurus:
You might be excused for thinking Styracosaurus was all head: its broad, flat face extended upward into a massive frill, which was itself topped by no less than six dangerous-looking spikes. Also, this plant-eater had a two-foot-long horn extending from its snout, two smaller horns jutting out from its cheeks, and (for some obscure reason) unusually large nostrils.
Why would nature have allowed this otherwise gentle ceratopsian to evolve such an elaborate (and fearsome) display? There are three possible explanations. First, it may have been a sexual adaptation (that is, male Styracosauruses with bigger frills and sharper spikes had a better chance of mating with females); and second, it may have been a means of defense, to actively gore predators or make the Styracosaurus look larger and more threatening.
There's also an interesting third possibility. The enormous frill of Styracosaurus may have helped dissipate heat from its body, like a modern elephant's ears. If so, this would lend support to the theory that dinosaurs had warm-blooded metabolisms and needed to shed excess heat.
