10060 - Avaceratops Dinosaur Tail Vertebrae Bone - Judith River Fm - Montana

Scientific name: Avaceratops lammersi. Dodson (1986)

Location: Montana (Private Land Origin), USA

Geological Formation: Judith River Formation

Age: Upper Cretaceous, Campanian stage ( 78 million years)

Size: 2,79cm long - 2,28cm wide - 2,03cm thick

Ref: 10060

Avaceratops was a relatively small ceratopsian dinosaur from the late Cretaceous of North America. What makes its classification difficult however is the fact that its neck frill is short and lacks any fenestrae (openings), and with the exception of others like Triceratops, ceratopsians can usually be divided into either centrosaurine or chasmosaurine groups, although both have fenestral openings in their frills. This had led to Avaceratops being placed between these two larger groups with speculation that it may represent the ancestral form of Triceratops as well as possibly being a juvenile specimen which could account for its small body size and relatively small horns and frill.