Cretaceous
Pentaceratops
Pentaceratops sternbergii
The catalogue presents Pentaceratops as a herbivore member of Ceratopsidae that lived during the Cretaceous, between 75.0–73.0 Ma. Its estimated range is 6.0–8.0 m in length and 5.0–8.0 t in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Kirtland Formation, New Mexico, USA. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Pentaceratops, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Osborn (1923).
The PBDB places it in Chasmosaurinae, 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 5 occurrences, with material from the Fruitland Formation (2), from the Kirtland Formation (2) and from the Williams Fork Formation (1). Provenance: United States.
The catalogue records the holotype as AMNH 6325 and the type locality as “Kirtland Formation, New Mexico, USA”.
- AMNH 6325
- Kirtland Formation, New Mexico, USA
The catalogue's reference measurements are 6.0–8.0 m in length and 5.0–8.0 t in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 6.0-8.0 m
- 5.0-8.0 tons
The record gathers 53 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
- 6.0–8.0 m
- Weight
- 5.0–8.0 t
- Period
- Cretaceous
- Time range
- 75.0–73.0 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 1923
- Described by
- Henry Fairfield Osborn
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Ornithischia
- Family
- Ceratopsidae
- Genus
- Pentaceratops
- Species
- P. sternbergii
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
- AMNH 6325
- Type locality
- Kirtland Formation, New Mexico, USA