Centrosaurus Characteristics

Centrosaurus was a large, heavily built dinosaur that measured around 20 feet (6 metres) in length, 6 feet (1.8 metres) in height and weighed around 3 tons. Centrosaurus had a big curved nose horn which measured around 46 centimetres (18 inches) in length and sharply hooked spikes on its neck frill. An attack by Centrosaurus would likely have resulted in serious wounds that could be deadly to any opponent. A small pair of horns were also present over the eyes. Their skull measured up to 3 feet (1 metre) in length. Centrosaurus had thick limbs and walked on all fours. The jaws of Centrosaurus were designed to shear through tough, low-lying plant material.

Centrosaurus would most likely have used its nose horn to compete in intraspecific combat (horn-to-horn combat). The frill of Centrosaurus was too thin to be used for defense against predators, although the thicker, solid frill of Triceratops might have evolved to protect the neck. The frill of Centrosaurus was most likely used for species recognition and other forms of visual display.

The first Centrosaurus remains were discovered by paleontologist Lawrence Lambe in strata along the Red Deer River in Alberta, Canada in 1904. Later, vast bonebeds of Centrosaurus were found in Dinosaur Provincial Park, also in Alberta. Some of these beds extend for hundreds of metres and contain thousands of individuals of all ages and all levels of completion. Scientists have speculated that the high density and number of individuals would be explained if they had perished while trying to cross a flooded river.

The discovery of gigantic bone beds of Centrosaurus in Canada suggest that it was a gregarious animal and could have traveled in large herds in searcg of food and water. Many fossils have been found of Centrosaurus including a skin impression. This skin impression shows that Centrosaurus had scaly skin.