Platyceratops


Platyceratops is a genus of ceratopsian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. It lived during the Campanian stage, about 75-72 million years ago. The name Platyceratops is derived from Greek, and means "flat horned face". Platyceratops is similar to Bagaceratops, although its skull is larger. It has been referred to the Bagaceratopidae or at least the Neoceratopsia. It is possibly a junior synonym of Bagaceratops. The type species is Platyceratops tatarinovi, described by Alifanov in 2003.

Classification

Platyceratops belonged to the Ceratopsia, a group of herbivorous dinosaurs with parrot-like beaks that thrived in North America and Asia during the Cretaceous Period. The validity of Platyceratops remains in doubt. Both Platyceratops and Bagaceratops were found at the same locality, the Red Beds at Khermeen Tsav, which raises the possibility that they are in fact the same species.

Diet

Platyceratops, like all ceratopsians, was a herbivore.