Pentaceratops

dinosaurs · horned dinosaurs · Cretaceous

Five impressive horns. Pentaceratops had five horns on its head: two large ones over its eyes, two smaller ones on its cheekbones, and one on its nose. All these horns made it look incredibly fierce, even though it was a peaceful plant-eater.

Found in New Mexico. Scientists discovered most Pentaceratops fossils in the San Juan Basin in New Mexico during the Kirtland Formation. About a dozen skulls and skeletons have been found there, giving us a really good picture of what this dinosaur looked like.

Ancient giant of the late Cretaceous. Pentaceratops lived around 76 to 73 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous Period. This was toward the end of the age of dinosaurs, making it one of the last great horned dinosaurs.

Named in 1923. Scientists first found Pentaceratops fossils in 1921, but they didn't officially name and describe the dinosaur until 1923. They called the main species Pentaceratops sternbergii.

Related to Triceratops. Pentaceratops was closely related to Triceratops and belonged to a family of dinosaurs called ceratopsids. These were all horned, plant-eating dinosaurs that lived during the Cretaceous Period.