| Diet | Herbivore |
| Height | 1.5m |
| Length | 4.3m |
| Weight | 2 tonnes |
| Speed | 25 km/h |
| Environment | Land |
| Era | Cretaceous |
| Period | Late Cretaceous |
| Type | Ceratopsian |
| Location | Canada |
Anchiceratops was a distinctive ceratopsian dinosaur that roamed the ancient landscapes of western Canada during the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 73 to 68 million years ago. This medium-sized herbivore was built like a living tank, with a heavily constructed body designed for both defence and efficient plant processing.
Standing about 1.5 metres tall at the hip and measuring up to 4.3 metres in length, Anchiceratops was smaller than some of its famous relatives but no less impressive. Its most striking feature was its elaborate skull, which made up nearly a third of its total body length. The skull bore two prominent brow horns that projected forwards and upwards, whilst a shorter nasal horn adorned its snout. Perhaps most distinctive was its rectangular neck frill, elongated and edged with coarse triangular projections that gave it a fearsome appearance.
As a herbivore, Anchiceratops used its powerful beak and rows of shearing teeth to slice through tough Cretaceous vegetation. Its quadrupedal stance and sturdy build suggest it was a ground-level browser, likely feeding on ferns, cycads, and early flowering plants that grew in the warm, humid forests of ancient Alberta.
The discovery of about a dozen skulls has provided palaeontologists with excellent insight into this ceratopsian's anatomy and variation within the species, making it one of the better-understood members of its group.
Anchiceratops had a distinctive rectangular skull frill decorated with coarse triangular projections around its edges, two long forward-pointing brow horns, and a short nasal horn. Its heavily built body and proportionally large head made it easily recognisable amongst ceratopsians.
Anchiceratops likely lived in herds for protection, using its impressive horns and frill both for defence against predators and for display during social interactions. Its low-slung body and powerful limbs suggest it was well-adapted for moving through dense forest undergrowth whilst browsing on low-growing vegetation.
Anchiceratops occasionally appears in dinosaur documentaries and educational materials, though it remains less famous than its larger relative Triceratops.
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Ornithischia |
| Family | Ceratopsidae |
| Genus | Anchiceratops |
Anchiceratops was first described by Barnum Brown in 1914. The original fossils were discovered at Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Alberta, Canada.
