Fun Agathaumas Facts For Kids

The Agasthaumas was the first Ceratopsian discovered by science. Its name is derived from a Greek word meaning ‘Great wonder.’ It is also referred as to the ‘marvelous forest dweller’ (given by Cope) because of it ate leaves, sticks, and forest remains. It was preserved well within the forest cover for several years. The fossil was first discovered by Fielding Bradford Meek and Henry Martyn Bannister in the Lance formation near South Wyoming in the year 1872 when the duo was conducting a geological survey to unearth fossil shells. Later, Edward Drinker Cope, one of the senior paleontologists, conducted a detailed geological survey and performed research on the specimen after being notified by Bannister and Meek. He then named it ‘Agathaumas sylvestris.’ Popularly identified by its distinctive features like the huge frilled skull and large pointed horn, this dinosaur was well known across the history of paleontology science for its reputation to be the biggest land animal in existence during the late Cretaceous period. However, just like numerous other Ceratopsian dinosaurs, not many Agathaumas facts and materials are known and found. It was years later in 1889 that complete hip bones, hip vertebrae, and ribs were discovered and the complete restoration was made. The marvelous forest dweller is often considered a synonym of either the Triceratops or the Torosaurus. The two species are known to be the closest counterparts of the Cretaceous period dinosaur. The initial Agathaumas discovery was quite a catch and Cope originally described it as a type of Hadrosaur until O. Marsh described the species as a Triceratops considering the physical relativity and taxonomical features of the genus. During the re-discovery, Cope found bones preserved by clay and sand sediments along with bones and additions of other materials like fossils of leaves and sticks. This prompted Cope to claim that the dinosaur dwelled in a heavily forested area.For more dinosaur articles, read our Heterodontosaurus facts and Incisivosaurus facts for kids.

What did they prey on? N/A

What did they eat? Herbivore

Average litter size? 10

How much did they weigh? 13,227.7 lb (6,000 kg)

How long were they? 29.5 ft (9 m)

How tall were they? 4.5 ft (1.4 m)

What did they look like? Brown, cream

Skin Type Tubercles

What were their main threats? Natural disasters

Where were they found? Rocky plains, mountains

Locations Lance formation, Wyoming, North America

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Agathamus

Class Reptilia

Family Ceratopsidae

Scientific Name Agathaumas sylvestris

How scary were they? 5

How loud were they? 3

How intelligent were they? 3

Agathaumas Interesting FactsHow do you pronounce ‘Agathaumas’?The word Agathaumas is pronounced as ‘Ae-gay-thaw-mas.‘What type of dinosaur was an Agathaumas?Initially described as a Hadrosaurus, the Agathaumas was actually a large quadrupedal Sauropod, belonging to the Ceratopsidae genus. In which geological period did the Agathaumas roam the Earth?The huge Ceratopsid existed in the late Cretaceous period, around 65 million years ago.When did the Agathaumas become extinct?The beast from Wyoming ceased to exist in the Maastrichtian era which was the latest age, also known as the uppermost stage, of the late Cretaceous epoch. It is more commonly referred as to the Upper Cretaceous period, and spanned the interval of 72 to 66 million years ago.Where did an Agathaumas live?The Agathaumas was a resident of the present day western central American state of Wyoming. It was found in the Lance formation where the first specimen of bones and fossil remains of the species were procured from. The Lance formation is named after the Lance Creek which is a marine site.What was an Agathaumas’s habitat?The great wonder was clearly a forest dweller since its fossils and preserved remains indicate the same. The Lance formation was a freshwater site filled with running streams and ahd a coastal plain along the edge. The climate of the site was subtropical with ample rainfall and low chances of dry winters.Who did an Agathaumas live with?As discovered through relevant dinosaur fossils found near its habitat, the Agathaumas sylvestris lived with many other dinosaur and animal species like the duck-billed dinosaur Trachodon, the great Tyrannosaurus rex, Ankylosaurs, Pterosaurs and Triceratops along with birds and mammals like marsupials.How long did an Agathaumas live?The Agathaumas was one of the first genus of dinosaurs in existence and an average member of the species lived for around 200-300 years.How did they reproduce?The beast from Wyoming, like most Sauropods, was oviparous. After mating, the female used to lay anywhere between 5-15 eggs.Agathaumas Fun FactsWhat did an Agathaumas look like?The beast was primarily identified by its large mane-like skull, three horns and a beaked mouth. Initial fossil recoveries revealed large, loose vertebrae with the tail, ribs, a horn, the skull, a hip and sacrum bones. Features like the large skull, horns and the long tail strongly resembled that of a Triceratops. It was the Charles R Knight Agathaumas version which brought the Ceratopsidae to a visual form first.How many bones did an Agathaumas have?The Agathaumas sylvestri fossil initially was loose vertebrae with a few other body parts and the dinosaur was later described as a 16-vertebrae Ceratops. It had a classic gigantic Ceratopsid horn followed by two horns on the forehead and several horns protruding out of the frilled mane.How did they communicate?Like most of dinosaurs, the Ceratopsian is believed to have communicated through vocal sounds and calls while their huge spread-out skull is believed to have amplified sounds. Moreover, courtship behaviors and territorial aggression were ways of communicating a message of acquisition to fellow dinosaurs.How big was an Agathaumas?The Agathaumas size comparison is a worthy one, as it was once presumed to be the largest land animal. It was as large as 29.5 ft (9 m) and the best comparison would be the iconic Titanosaur, the Argentinosaurus huinculensis which was the largest dinosaur to ever exist on Earth so far. It was as big as 118 ft (36 m) making it almost four times larger than the Agathaumas.How fast could an Agathaumas move?The Agathaumas was a Sauropod with well defined legs which enabled it to move steadily. Its exact speed is unknown but, being a Triceratops it could have possibly moved at a speed of approximately 20 mph (32.2 kph).How much did an Agathaumas weigh?If given a comparison of Agathaumas vs Carnotaurus, the Agathaumas weighed around 13,227.7 lb (6,000 kg) whereas the Carnotaurus weighed near 2,200 lb (997.9 kg). Similarly if a comparison is drawn between the Stegosaurus vs Agathaumas, the Stegosaurus weighed a whopping 15,400 lb (6,985.3 kg). Thus the Agathaumas is almost six times bigger than the Carnotaurus while just being a little smaller than the Stegosaurus.What were the male and female names of the species?Male dinosaurs were called ‘bucks’ and female dinosaurs were called ‘cows.’ Otherwise they are known by a common name ‘Agathaumas.‘What would you call a baby Agathaumas?A baby is known as a hatchling, just like its cousin, reptiles.What did they eat?These non-carnivores Agathaumas were usually plant-eaters. They used to feed on plant-based food available in the wild which possibly included flowering trees and bushes.How aggressive were they?The wild forest dweller, the Agathaumas sylvestris, was known to engage in constant battles with the Tyrannosaurus rex. The once renowned beast and the iconic T-rex used to have aggressive head-on encounters for territory.Did you know…The Agathaumas dinosaur was discovered in bits and pieces just like many other dinosaurs in the world. The first Agathamaus specimen only consisted of hip bones including hip vertebrae and ribs, thus earning its description of ’the wreck of one of the princes among giants.’ C. Marsh, an extremely renowned name in the world of paleontology, is famous for rivalling Edward Drinker Cope, America’s other great vertebrate paleontologist of the period. Each marvelous discovery made by C. Marsh rivaled a discovery of Cope.The dinosaur was seen as the largest land animal known at the time of its discovery and might be a synonym of Triceratops, thus the name ‘great wonder’.After the geological survey by Bannister and Meek, artist Charles R. Knight painted the Agathaumas for Edward Drinker Cope to aid his description and support the research and the restoration of the animal.While the name Agathaumas is a casual reference, the species is formally known as the ‘Agathaumas-malone’ and the ‘Agathaumas mortuarius’ which is mostly used in citations for research work while the Agathaumas sphenocerus is a sub species of the Agathaumas sylvestris, of the Ceratopsid dinosaurs.More than a thousand specimens of bones and other fossil remains have been recovered from sites near the Lance formation, meaning that the Agathaumas lived in a highly populated area with lots of other animals in the vicinity.Did they attack other dinosaurs?The Agathaumas, being a plant-eater, did not attack or prey on other dinosaurs.Did they hunt?The Agathaumas sylvestris was classified as a Ceratopsian which means that it was a class of herbivorous dinosaurs. It also had a rounded beak-like mouth, similar to that of most modern birds who use it for splitting open hard fruits and nuts. Thus, the rounded beak is probably a herbivorous evolutionary feature passed down, although quite a few carnivorous birds have it too.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures from our Homalocephale facts, or Crichtonsaurus facts for kids.You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable dinosaur teeth coloring pages.

How do you pronounce ‘Agathaumas’?

The word Agathaumas is pronounced as ‘Ae-gay-thaw-mas.’

Fun Agathaumas Facts For Kids

What did they prey on? N/A

What did they eat? Herbivore

Average litter size? 10

How much did they weigh? 13,227.7 lb (6,000 kg)

How long were they? 29.5 ft (9 m)

How tall were they? 4.5 ft (1.4 m)

What did they look like? Brown, cream

Skin Type Tubercles

What were their main threats? Natural disasters

Where were they found? Rocky plains, mountains

Locations Lance formation, Wyoming, North America

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Agathamus

Class Reptilia

Family Ceratopsidae

Scientific Name Agathaumas sylvestris

How scary were they? 5

How loud were they? 3

How intelligent were they? 3

Fun Agathaumas Facts For Kids

What did they prey on? N/A

What did they eat? Herbivore

Average litter size? 10

How much did they weigh? 13,227.7 lb (6,000 kg)

How long were they? 29.5 ft (9 m)

How tall were they? 4.5 ft (1.4 m)

What did they look like? Brown, cream

Skin Type Tubercles

What were their main threats? Natural disasters

Where were they found? Rocky plains, mountains

Locations Lance formation, Wyoming, North America

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Agathamus

Class Reptilia

Family Ceratopsidae

Scientific Name Agathaumas sylvestris

How scary were they? 5

How loud were they? 3

How intelligent were they? 3

Fun Agathaumas Facts For Kids

What did they prey on? N/A

What did they eat? Herbivore

Average litter size? 10

How much did they weigh? 13,227.7 lb (6,000 kg)

How long were they? 29.5 ft (9 m)

How tall were they? 4.5 ft (1.4 m)

What did they look like? Brown, cream

Skin Type Tubercles

What were their main threats? Natural disasters

Where were they found? Rocky plains, mountains

Locations Lance formation, Wyoming, North America

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Agathamus

Class Reptilia

Family Ceratopsidae

Scientific Name Agathaumas sylvestris

How scary were they? 5

How loud were they? 3

How intelligent were they? 3