Styracosaurus

dinosaur · horns · Late Cretaceous · herbivore

Crown of spikes. Styracosaurus had four to six long spikes sticking out from its neck frill, making it look like it was wearing a spiky crown. These spikes helped make this dinosaur look impressive and powerful.

Three kinds of horns. Besides the famous spikes on its frill, Styracosaurus had a large single horn on its nose that could grow as long as a baseball bat, plus two smaller horns on its cheeks. With all these spiky parts, it must have looked pretty fierce.

Plant eater. Even though Styracosaurus looked super dangerous with all its horns and spikes, it was actually a vegetarian that munched on plants. Its sharp horns and spikes were probably used for showing off to other dinosaurs or protecting itself.

North American dinosaur. Styracosaurus lived during the Late Cretaceous period in North America, which is why scientists find its fossils in places like Canada and the United States. This was a time when many different kinds of dinosaurs roamed the continent.

Mystery of the spikes. Scientists have debated for a long time about why Styracosaurus had all these horns and spikes. They might have been used to attract mates, fight with other dinosaurs, or just look scary to predators.