.30" Fossil Ceratopsian Dinosaur (Leptoceratops) Tooth - Montana

About Leptoceratops

Leptoceratops was a small, primitive genus of ceratopsian dinosaur whose name literally means "small-horn face" despite the fact it did not have any horns. It reached lengths of about two meters and appears to have had the characteristics of a bipedal dinosaur, likely being able to stand and run on its back legs. However, even though they weren't able to pronate their "hands", it's likely they could walk on all four legs. As with other ceratopsians it has a parrot-like beak and was probably able to chew very tough vegetation.

Because of its age and sedimentary composition, the Hell Creek Formation has become one of the most paleontologically studied areas in the world. 158 genera of animals and 64 genera of plants are known from the formation and new discoveries are made frequently. In addition to Tyrannosaurs, Ceratopsids, and Hadrosaurs, the formation has yielded remains of amphibians, reptiles, lizards, snakes and turtles, fish and sharks, avian and non-avian dinosaurs, and mammals. The Hell Creek Formation gives the most complete understanding of the environment just before the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction.