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Description
Scientific name: Albertaceratops nesmoi
Diet: plants (at the Zoo they eat leafy vegetables and fruit)
Projected natural lifespan: 17 years
Length: 5.8 meters (19 feet)
Weight: 2,300 kilograms (~5,060 pounds)
Locality: Alberta, Canada (Oldman Formation), 77.5 Ma (Late Cretaceous Campanian)
Exhibit: Horn-Face Range

About:
With its long brow horns, Albertaceratops looks like a close relative of chasmosaurine ceratopsids like Triceratops. However, it was actually more closely related to centrosaurines like Styracosaurus, a perfect example of convergent evolution.

Description and behavior:
Like most ceratopsids, Albertaceratops was a herding animal with an elaborate frill and horns. Its unique pattern of horns allowed it--and other ceratopsids--to identify themselves both individually and at the specific level. Albertaceratops' displays weren't limited to the head, though. Each individual also has an elaborate series of black stripes that continue from the rim of the skull to the body, which serves multiple purposes: identification (no two series of stripes are alike), display, and breaking up its outline to confuse predators. Males can further be distinguished by a series of red stripes on the neck, which in addition to display also serve to further confuse predators; they look like bloody gashes, making them look weak and thus more likely to be targeted, only for predators to be repelled by thick, healthy skin. All this identification is needed to help them navigate their great semiannual migrations, where herds up to thousands strong cross the unforgiving floodplains under the constant threat of predators.

At the Zoo:
The Horn-Face Range houses six Albertaceratops.

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The behavior is inspired by rhinos and wildebeest.

The skeletal I used belongs to DrScottHartman .

The mass estimate comes from AndreOF-Gallery 's chart: www.deviantart.com/andreof-gal…

Description
Scientific name: Albertaceratops nesmoi
Diet: plants (at the Zoo they eat leafy vegetables and fruit)
Projected natural lifespan: 17 years
Length: 5.8 meters (19 feet)
Weight: 2,300 kilograms (~5,060 pounds)
Locality: Alberta, Canada (Oldman Formation), 77.5 Ma (Late Cretaceous Campanian)
Exhibit: Horn-Face Range

About:
With its long brow horns, Albertaceratops looks like a close relative of chasmosaurine ceratopsids like Triceratops. However, it was actually more closely related to centrosaurines like Styracosaurus, a perfect example of convergent evolution.

Description and behavior:
Like most ceratopsids, Albertaceratops was a herding animal with an elaborate frill and horns. Its unique pattern of horns allowed it--and other ceratopsids--to identify themselves both individually and at the specific level. Albertaceratops' displays weren't limited to the head, though. Each individual also has an elaborate series of black stripes that continue from the rim of the skull to the body, which serves multiple purposes: identification (no two series of stripes are alike), display, and breaking up its outline to confuse predators. Males can further be distinguished by a series of red stripes on the neck, which in addition to display also serve to further confuse predators; they look like bloody gashes, making them look weak and thus more likely to be targeted, only for predators to be repelled by thick, healthy skin. All this identification is needed to help them navigate their great semiannual migrations, where herds up to thousands strong cross the unforgiving floodplains under the constant threat of predators.

At the Zoo:
The Horn-Face Range houses six Albertaceratops.

---

The behavior is inspired by rhinos and wildebeest.

The skeletal I used belongs to DrScottHartman .

The mass estimate comes from AndreOF-Gallery 's chart: www.deviantart.com/andreof-gal…