Psittacosaurus
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| phylum | Chordata | Psittacosaurus (from the Greek for "parrot lizard") is a genus of psittacosaurid ceratopsian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period of what is now Asia, between 123 to 100 million years ago. All species of Psittacosaurus were gazelle-sized bipedal herbivores characterized by a high, powerful beak on the upper jaw. At least one species had long, quill-like structures on its tail and lower back, possibly serving a display function. Psittacosaurs were extremely early ceratopsians. Although they developed many novel adaptations, they shared many anatomical features with later ceratopsians such as Protoceratops and Triceratops.
For more information, visit the Wikipedia entry. Get back to Ceratopsia |
| clade | Sauropsida | |
| clade | Diapsida | |
| order | Ornithischia | |
| family | Psittacosauridae | |
| genus | Psittacosaurus | |
| species | P. mongoliensis | |
| Temporal range | Early Cretaceous |
