Horned dinosaurs are divided into two main groups the Centrosaurinae, whose members have a short frill, with a large nasal/nose horn,
and shorter brow horns, and the second group is Chasmosaurinae, whose members have a long frill with a short nasal horn and longer brow horns, and a crown-like frill.
The discovery of Regaliceratops‘ skull allowed paleontologists better understand the two groups.
This new species of horned dinosaur with somewhat bizarre features was described by Caleb Marshall Brown and Donald Henderson,
as species similar to the Chasmosaurine group, but with ornamentation more similar to Centrosaurines.
Regaliceratops peterhewsi had three horns, the horns placed near its brows were larger than its nose horn.
This dinosaur is considered as an ‘odd animal that just has the face of a dinosaur’, it is closely related to Triceratops, and other horned dinosaurs that belong to the Chasmosaurines group.
Regaliceratops peterhewsi and its relatives are physically characterized by its distinctive brow horns, and the smaller horn on top of its nose, the frills,
and its patterns are quite simple among this species, with a few plates around the edges,
unlike the other groups of dinosaurs such as Ceratopsians and Centrosaurines, who have larger nose horns and no brow horns, and whose frills are adorned with spikes.
Curious about a Regaliceratops’ size? Well, this horned dinosaur grew up to 16.4 ft (5 m) in length, and 4.9 ft (1.5 m) in height.
The estimated weight of an adult Regaliceratops peterhewsi is 3,306 lb (1,500 kg).
Since Regaliceratops peterhewsi were herbivores their diet mainly consisted of plants and fruits.
This dinosaur lived near regions that provided it with plenty of food and water i.e. forests, riversides, floodplains, and swamps.
They reproduced via sexual reproduction. Males would deposit their sperm inside females, who would later lay fertilized eggs containing developing dinosaur embryos.
They built nests by digging burrows in the soil and laid giant eggs which had a hard layered shell.
All the eggs were usually amniotic, meaning the fetus was covered by a membrane which helped in its protection as well as supplying oxygen and other nutrients to the fetus.
