Coahuilaceratops magnacuerna

Scientists believe that Coahuilaceratops had the largest horns of any dinosaur yet discovered. The whole horn would likely have measured up to an impressive 1.2m in length, out-doing larger bodied relatives such as Torosaurus and Triceratops.

This dinosaur is known from only a few fragmentary remains of its skull that it rather carelessly left lying around, which scientists have dated back to approximately 72MYA. It was named after the Mexican state in which it was found and excavated back in the early 2000's.

Despite the limited fossil record, Coahuilaceratops magnacuerna is thought to have been one of the larger ceratopsians that roamed the late Cretaceous period, measuring an estimated 6–7 metres in length, and perhaps 4+ tons in weight.

As well as possessing horns even Triceratops would envy, Coahuilaceratops is also of interest to researchers because it is the southernmost known ceratopsian discovered in North and Central America. At the time, the American continents were not connected, so Coahuilaceratops would have been living in a coastal environment. Given the assortment of dinosaur remains found at the fossil site, it is likely that they were all taken out by some kind of natural disaster, such as a tropical hurricane.

ESSENTIAL FACT: Coahuilaceratops was one of the first dinosaurs discovered in Mexico to be formally described, and Mexico might just be the place to be — it is anticipated that future fossil finds there will play a key role in supplementing what we already know about Cretaceous fauna.

FURTHER READING: The University of Utah team that formally named and described Coahuilaceratops announced their discovery in this press release — take a look if that’s what you’re into.