Bagaceratops (Small-Horned Face)
Basic facts
4.9 feet (1.5m) length
Late Cretaceous
Asia
Hebrivore
Bagaceratops, which translates to "small-horned face," stands as a genus of diminutive protoceratopsid dinosaurs that thrived in the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 72 to 71 million years ago. These ancient creatures left their traces in the Barun Goyot Formation and the Bayan Mandahu Formation. There's even a specimen that hints at the potential presence of Bagaceratops in the Djadochta Formation.
In terms of size, Bagaceratops was among the smallest ceratopsians, stretching to about 1 to 1.5 meters (3.3 to 4.9 feet) in length and weighing around 22.7 to 45 kilograms (50 to 99 pounds). Despite emerging relatively late in the era of dinosaurs, Bagaceratops retained a somewhat primitive anatomy compared to the more highly developed ceratopsids.
It retained the small body size characteristic of early ceratopsians, exhibiting a smaller frill, approximately ten grinding teeth per jaw, and a more triangular skull when juxtaposed with its close relative, Protoceratops. While Bagaceratops and Protoceratops shared many similarities, particularly in the postcranial skeleton, the former displayed a significantly more advanced skull structure. This included the absence of primitive premaxillary teeth, paired nasal bones that were fused, and the development of an oval-shaped fenestra, also known as the accessory antorbital fenestra, in the maxilla.
In the grand scheme of things, Bagaceratops belonged to the Ceratopsia group, a collective of herbivorous dinosaurs sporting parrot-like beaks. These unique creatures flourished in both North America and Asia throughout the Cretaceous Period, which ultimately concluded around 66 million years ago.