STL Science Center

STL Science Center

17 November 2018

It Refers to Brambles

One might imagine that with a name like Rubeosaurus ovatus the person naming the dinosaur may have been poking fun at someone, but the name actually means "Bramble lizard" and references the appearance of the ceratopsian frill that makes up a good portion of the known skeletal elements. Originally named by Charles W. Gilmore in 1930 as a species of Styracosaurus, Rubeosaurus was split from that genus in 2010 by McDonald and Horner following a phylogenetic analysis conducted using new material attributed to what would be renamed Rubeosaurus. The ceratopsian dinosaur has a similar frill to its close relatives Styracosaurus and Einiosaurus. These frills all possess large parietal fenestrations and are bordered by large conical processes surrounding these cranial bones and highly ornamenting the skull. A singular and immense nasal horn is also present in Rubeosaurus, just as in its close relatives.
©Lukas Panzarin CC BY 2.5
From McDonald and Horner 2011

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