| Diet | Herbivore |
| Height | 1.5m |
| Length | 4m |
| Weight | 1.5 tonnes |
| Environment | Land |
| Era | Cretaceous |
| Period | Late Cretaceous |
| Type | Ceratopsian |
| Location | North America |
Brachyceratops was a ceratopsian dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous Period, approximately 85.7 to 83.6 million years ago in what is now Montana, United States. However, this dinosaur has become one of palaeontology's more problematic cases, as it is known only from juvenile specimens that are too incomplete to properly establish it as a distinct species.
As a ceratopsian, Brachyceratops would have been a plant-eating dinosaur with a distinctive beaked face and bony frill extending from the back of its skull. Based on the juvenile remains found, scientists estimate it may have reached about 4 metres in length and 1.5 metres in height when fully grown. Like other ceratopsians, it would have walked on four sturdy legs and used its sharp beak to slice through tough plant material.
The fragmentary nature of the Brachyceratops fossils has made it extremely difficult for scientists to determine what features distinguished this dinosaur from its relatives. The specimens were found in the Two Medicine Formation, a rock formation famous for its diverse collection of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs. Unfortunately, because only young individuals have been discovered, researchers cannot be certain whether the characteristics they observe represent genuine species differences or simply juvenile traits that would have changed as the animals matured.
One specimen originally assigned to Brachyceratops has since been reclassified as belonging to Rubeosaurus ovatus, further highlighting the uncertain nature of this genus. Today, most palaeontologists consider Brachyceratops a 'nomen dubium' - a scientific name based on remains too incomplete to be reliably distinguished from other species.
The distinguishing features of Brachyceratops remain uncertain due to the fragmentary nature of the juvenile specimens. What little is known suggests it had the typical ceratopsian characteristics of a beaked face and bony neck frill, though the specific details that would separate it from other ceratopsians are unclear.
Little can be determined about Brachyceratops behaviour from the limited juvenile remains discovered. Like other ceratopsians, it would likely have been a social herbivore that lived in herds and used its beak to crop low-growing vegetation.
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Ornithischia |
| Family | Ceratopsidae |
| Genus | Brachyceratops |
Brachyceratops was first described by Charles W. Gilmore in 1914. The original fossils were discovered at Two Medicine Formation, Montana, USA.
