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Achelousaurus gets its name from "Achelous," a river god in Greek and Roman mythology. This god had the power to change shape. While fighting the god Hercules, Achelous changed into a bull. But Hercules defeated him by tearing off one of its horns. Because this hornless ceratopian is thought to have evolved from ceratopians with horns, the name Achelousaurus was chosen.
Scientific Name: Achelousaurus horneri
Pronunciation: ah-kee-LOH-uh-SAW-rus HOR-ner-eye
Named for: Mythological river god plus lizard
Locality Found: Montana
Age: Late Cretaceous, 75 million years ago
Size: 6 meters (20 feet) long
Characteristics: Instead of having skulls with horns like other ceratopsians, these dinosaurs had bosses (large, irregular bony bumps) above their eyes and nose.
When trying to identify a ceratopian dinosaur, the most important body part is the:
feet
skull
tail
Correct!
Ceratopians have very distinct skulls. Each one's horns and frills have different arrangements and sizes. Otherwise, their bodies are similar.
The second part of this dinosaur's name, horneri, was chosen:
because this dinosaur has no brow horns
because this dinosaur was thought to make horn-like noises
to honor the paleontologist John Horner
Correct!
Paleontologist John Horner is known for his work on dinosaur eggs and nesting grounds.
The Achelousaurus had a knob of bone called a "boss" on its snout.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fact
Scientists disagree about the purpose of the Achelousaurus' "boss." They don't know if it once supported a horn.