This item has been retired by Safari limited but we still have a few in stock.
Retired Safari LTD Wild Nasutoceratops toy figure: item #
Dinosaur toy
- WhenNasutoceratopswas named in 2013 it showed that horned dinosaurs were more variable than previously supposed
- This four-legged plant eater lived in Utah during the Late Cretaceous.
- Nasutoceratopshad a pair of large forward-pointing horns over its eyes, a deep snout with a curved beak, and a bony frill on the back of its head
History The fossilized remains of Nasutoceratops were collected in 2006 from the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, southern Utah, USA. It is known from an almost complete skeleton including a 6-foot-long skull, and partial remains of other individuals. It was described and named in 2013 as a new type of horned dinosaur or ceratopsian. Its name comes from the Latin nasutus, meaning ‘large-nosed’ and the Latinized Greek ceratops, meaning ‘horned-face’. The one and only species of Nasutoceratops, N. titusi, is named after palaeontologist Alan Titus. Nasutoceratops’ huge brow horns point forwards and outwards, and were covered in a horny sheath in life. They were possibly used as an effective weapon against predators, but more likely they were used for fighting between rival males. The bony frill is not solid bone - it contains a pair of large openings. This suggests that it was more for show than protection. The curved horns of Nasutoceratops are similar to those of a bull or buffalo. Ceratopsians are sometimes referred to as the ‘buffalo of the Cretaceous’ because they had horns and lived in large herds. Nasutoceratops roamed Utah during late Campanian stage where it lived alongside a diverse dinosaur fauna of at least 16 species.