Turanoceratops

Turan horned face

• Turan · Place name (Turan region of Central Asia · the Turan region/lowland, where the fossils were found
• keras · Greek · horn
• ops · Greek · face

The name combines Turan, the Central Asian region (the Turan Depression) where the fossils were found, with the Greek words for "horn" and "face". It is a ceratopsian, a horned dinosaur, and was one of the first ceratopsians known from Asia that was not a close relative of Protoceratops. The name therefore means "Turan horned face".

Named by

Nessov and Kaznyshkin

Year named

1989

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Turonian

Found in

Bissekty Formation, Dzharakuduk, Kyzylkum Desert, Uzbekistan

The type and only species is Turanoceratops tardabilis. Its exact relationships have been debated; it has been interpreted as an early ceratopsid or as a close relative of that group.