Cerasinops hodgskissi

† Cerasinops hodgskissi was a small ceratopsian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Two Medicine Formation of Montana, United States. A basal member of the ceratopsian radiation, it was a small, bipedal herbivore lacking the elaborate horns and large frills of derived ceratopsids. Estimated at roughly 1 m in length, it browsed on low-growing vegetation. Its discovery helps fill gaps in the evolutionary sequence leading from small, hornless ceratopsians to the giant horned ceratopsids of the latest Cretaceous.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Cerasinops hodgskissi was a plant-eating dinosaur. Herbivores typically fed on ferns, cycads, conifers, and other vegetation available during their era. Many herbivorous dinosaurs developed specialized teeth and digestive systems for processing tough plant material.

Time Period

Cretaceous Late Mesozoic Era

Cerasinops hodgskissi lived during the Cretaceous Late period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 100.5 to 66.0 million years ago.

The final age of dinosaurs, featuring iconic species like Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and Velociraptor. Dinosaurs reached their peak diversity before the catastrophic asteroid impact at the Chicxulub crater ended the Mesozoic Era.