Horned dinosaurs are divided into two main groups: the Centrosaurinae, characterized by a short frill, large nasal/nose horn, and shorter brow horns, and the second group, Chasmosaurinae, featuring a long frill with a short nasal horn and longer brow horns, resembling a crown-like frill.
The unearthing of Regaliceratops’ skull provided paleontologists with a deeper understanding of these two groups. This new species of horned dinosaur, with its peculiar features, was described by Caleb Marshall Brown and Donald Henderson. It appears to be a species akin to the Chasmosaurinae group but with ornamentation more reminiscent of Centrosaurinae.
Regaliceratops peterhewsi had three horns, with the ones near its brows being larger than its nasal horn.
This dinosaur is considered an “odd animal that just has the face of a dinosaur.” It is closely related to Triceratops and other horned dinosaurs belonging to the Chasmosaurinae group.
Regaliceratops peterhewsi and its relatives are physically characterized by its distinctive brow horns and the smaller horn on top of its nasal horn, as well as the frills.
And its patterns are quite simple among this species, with a few plates around the edges,
unlike the other groups of dinosaurs such as Ceratopsians and Centrosaurines, who have larger nasal horns and brow horns, and whose frills are adorned with spikes.
Since Regaliceratops peterhewsi were herbivores, their diet mainly consisted of plants and fruits.
This dinosaur lived near regions that provided it with plenty of food and water, such as forests, riversides, floodplains, and swamps.
They reproduced via sexual reproduction. Males would deposit their sperm inside females, who would later lay fertilized eggs containing developing dinosaur embryos.
They built nests by digging burrows in the soil and laid giant eggs which had a hard-layered shell.
All the eggs were usually amniotic, meaning the fetus was covered by a membrane which helped in its protection as well as supplying oxygen and other nutrients to the fetus.
Curious about a Regaliceratops’ size? Well, this horned dinosaur grew up to 16.4 ft (5 m) in length and 4.9 ft (1.5 m) in height.
The estimated weight of an adult Regaliceratops peterhewsi is 3,306 lb (1,500 kg).
