The Word Ojoceratops is derived from the Greek word "Ojo horned faced". It belongs to the genus of Ceratopsian dinosaur which lived in what is now New Mexico, United States of America, Ojo Alamo Formation. It is named by Robert Sullivan and Spencer Lucas in the year 2010 and researched that it is a roughly 69 year old fossil.
Ojoceratops are estimated to be about 6 meters long and they follow a carnivorous diet.
The Distinguishing characters of Ojoceratops are it has two large horns over the eyes and a distinctive square off Frill. It is sized about 20 feet almost estimated upto 6 meters long and weights upto 2 to 3 tons. As per the study there are close similarities found in both triceratops and Eotriceratops (one of the kinds of Ceratopsian dinosaurs). Eventually, the further study might indicate that Ojoceratops are synonym to either of these two genera. The time period starts from the period of Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous. It is classified further as Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria, Ornithischia, Ceratopsia, Ceratopsidae, Chasmosaurinae, Triceratopsini. The size of the Ojoceratops is compared to that of a person who is 1.8 meters tall.
As per the findings by Robert Sullivan and Spencer Lucas were the Skull parts and there were two other bones of additional specimens that may or may not be of the same species. As per the recent arguments by a group of researchers it was concluded that Ojoceratops might continue the pattern of a distinct of southern horned dinosaurs or it might or might not resemble a southern population of previously known species or genera of dinosaurs.
It is a difficult task for the researchers to distinguish for now whether the Ojoceratops are distinct dinosaur or an early southern population dinosaurs since its story is caught between certain websites of the Late Campanian and Late Maastrichtian with a gap of 10 million years. The fate of Ojoceratops does not just rely on the scientific debate or the taxonomic philosophy but on the efforts put by the researchers and dinosaur history.
| Name: | Ojoceratops (Ojo horned face - After the Ojo Alamo Formation). |
| Phonetic: | O-joe-seh-rah-tops. |
| Fossil representation: | Partial skull. |
