Cretaceous
Centrosaurus
Centrosaurus apertus
The catalogue presents Centrosaurus as a herbivore member of Ceratopsidae that lived during the Cretaceous, between 77.0–75.0 Ma. Its estimated range is 5.0–6.0 m in length and 2.3 t in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, Canada. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Centrosaurus, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Lambe (1905).
The PBDB places it in Centrosaurini, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Ceratopsidae.
- PBDB · taxon.parent
- Ceratopsidae
In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range runs from the Campanian to the Maastrichtian.
The PBDB catalogues 42 occurrences, with material from the Dinosaur Park Formation (39) and from the Oldman Formation (2). Provenance: Canada.
The catalogue records the holotype as NMC 973 and the type locality as “Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, Canada”.
- NMC 973
- Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, Canada
The catalogue's reference measurements are 5.0–6.0 m in length and 2.3 t in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 5.0-6.0 m
- 2.3 tons
The record gathers 67 bibliographic references registered in the PBDB, listed below.
Where it lived
Fossil occurrences on today’s map and in the tectonic reconstruction.
Positions reconstructed by PBDB/GPlates, not observed; this is not an exact habitat map.
Artistic 3D reconstruction
There is no approved species-specific 3D model yet. Generic anatomy will not be presented as if it were evidence.
Physical Specifications
- Length
- 5.0–6.0 m
- Weight
- 2.3 t
- Period
- Cretaceous
- Time range
- 77.0–75.0 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 1904
- Described by
- Lawrence Lambe
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Ornithischia
- Family
- Ceratopsidae
- Genus
- Centrosaurus
- Species
- C. apertus
Data status
Taxonomic name matched to PBDB and checked on 2026-08-08.
Taxonomic linkage does not automatically validate size, mass, behaviour or appearance.
- Type specimen
- NMC 973
- Type locality
- Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, Canada