Serendipaceratops

Serendipaceratops arthurcclarkei is a ceratopsian dinosaur named for Arthur C. Clarke, author of books such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Rendezvous with Rama, who first became interested in science as a child because he became fascinated by dinosaurs.

As an early ceratopsian dinosaur, Serendipaceratops was only about 2 metres long, and probably had beak-like jaws, only a very small neck frill and no horns, unlike the more familiar Triceratops. The beak-like jaw suggests it was a herbivore.

Serendipaceratops was one of the earliest known ceratopsian dinosaurs; it is sometimes classified as a protoceratopsian. The first known bone from Serendipaceratops was discovered in Australia near Kilcunda, on the south-east coast of Victoria, Australia . It is an ulna about 115 million years old. This fossil could be an important clue that ceratopsian dinosaurs evolved in, or near, Australia and not Asia as previously thought. Another ceratopsian arm bone was also found at Dinosaur Cove, in south-west Victoria. It is a little younger at 106 million years old.

References

• Geoscience Australia (Department of Australian Government)
• BBC article on 19 July 2005
• Polar Dinos Spotlighted in "Dinosaurs of Darkness" Exhibition National Geographic Article
• Planet Dinosaur
• Dann's Dinosaur Info: Serendipaceratops
• Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature - Etymologies
• Ceratopia
• www.dinohunter.info
• Dinosaur species list by date from PALAEONTOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP University Of Bristol

See also

• Arthur C. Clarke
• Dinosaurs
• Paleontology