Nasutoceratops titusi
Pronounced nah-SOO-toh-SERR-ah-tops TY-tus-eye
Ceratopsia · Ceratopsidae
A big-nosed horned dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of southern Utah, with a short, deep snout and the longest brow horns of any centrosaurine. It lived about 76 million years ago on the island continent of Laramidia.
- Horned
- Quadrupedal
- Skin impressions known
- Period
- Cretaceous· Campanian
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Length
- 4.5 m
- Mass
- 1,500 kg
- Location
- Utah, United States
Quick answers
- How big was Nasutoceratops titusi?
- Nasutoceratops titusi was about 4.5 m long. It stood about 1.4–1.8 m tall at the hips. It weighed about 1.5 t. (Wikipedia: Nasutoceratops 2026; Paul 2016)
- When did Nasutoceratops titusi live?
- Nasutoceratops titusi lived during the Late Cretaceous, about 76–75.5 million years ago. (Sampson et al. 2013; Paleobiology Database: Nasutoceratops titusi … 2026)
- Where have Nasutoceratops titusi fossils been found?
- Fossils of Nasutoceratops titusi have been found in Kaiparowits Formation (Utah) and United States. (Sampson et al. 2013; Paleobiology Database: Nasutoceratops titusi … 2026)
- What did Nasutoceratops titusi eat?
- Nasutoceratops titusi was a herbivore. (Sampson et al. 2013; Paleobiology Database: Nasutoceratops titusi … 2026)
- Who named Nasutoceratops titusi, and when?
- Nasutoceratops titusi was described by Scott D. Sampson et al. in 2013. (Sampson et al. 2013; Paleobiology Database: Nasutoceratops titusi … 2026)
- Was Nasutoceratops titusi in Jurassic Park?
- Yes. Nasutoceratops titusi appears in Jurassic World Dominion (2022). A horned herbivore that returns in Dominion after its debut in the short Battle at Big Rock. The real animal had a short snout and long, forward-curving brow horns, and is known from Utah. (Wikipedia: Dinosaurs in Jurassic Park 2026; Sampson et al. 2013)
On this page
- Period
- Cretaceous76–75.5 Ma
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Length
- 4.5 m
- Mass
- 1.5 t
- Location
- United States
- Classification
- Ceratopsia · Ceratopsidae
- Described
- 2013, Scott D. Sampson et al.
Overview
Nasutoceratops titusi lived about 76 million years ago in what is now southern Utah, on Laramidia, the western island continent of North America. Eric Lund found its skull in 2006 in the Kaiparowits Formation of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and Scott Sampson and colleagues named it in 2013.
Its 1.8 m skull had an unusually short, deep snout with a hugely enlarged nasal opening, a low nasal horn and forward-curving brow horns spanning about 40% of the skull length, the longest of any centrosaurine. Its frill was broad and plain.
Nasutoceratops was the first centrosaurine from the south of Laramidia of the same age as the many northern ones. Sampson and colleagues saw it as support for separate northern and southern dinosaur provinces on Laramidia, an idea other researchers have contested.
Name meaning
From Latin nasutus ("large-nosed") and Latinized Greek ceratops ("horned face"); titusi honours Alan Titus, palaeontologist at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (Sampson et al. 2013).
Biology & evidence
What scientists think about how this animal lived, and how strong the evidence for each idea is.
Other
Laramidia was divided into northern and southern dinosaur provinces.
Evidence level: DisputedSampson and colleagues saw a southern centrosaurine lineage living at the same time as northern ones as strong support; others argue the differences reflect age and sampling.
Evidence for / against · 1
Evidence for
Phylogenetic inference · Centrosaurine phylogeny with Nasutoceratops
Nasutoceratops is the sister taxon of Avaceratops in an early-branching centrosaurine subclade.
Nasutoceratops had an unusually large, air-filled nose.
Evidence level: Direct evidenceThe nasal opening region makes up about three-quarters of the snout in front of the eyes, and the nasal bones hold an internal air space.
Evidence for / against · 1
Evidence for
Specimen · Nasutoceratops holotype skull
A 1.8 m skull with a hypertrophied narial region (about 75% of preorbital length), pneumatic nasals, a short snout and rostrolaterally directed brow horns spanning about 40% of skull length.
Specimen: UMNH VP 16800
Nasutoceratops had the longest brow horns of any centrosaurine.
Evidence level: Direct evidenceIn the holotype they span about 40% of the skull length and reach almost to the tip of the snout.
Evidence for / against · 1
Evidence for
Specimen · Nasutoceratops holotype skull
A 1.8 m skull with a hypertrophied narial region (about 75% of preorbital length), pneumatic nasals, a short snout and rostrolaterally directed brow horns spanning about 40% of skull length.
Specimen: UMNH VP 16800
Size
- Length
- 4.5 m
- Height
- 1.6 mpublished range 1.4–1.8 m
- Mass
- 1,500 kg
(14.8 ft)
(5.2 ft)
Timeline
Periods: Campanian (83.6–72.1 Ma), Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma)
Middle unit of the Kaiparowits Formation, about 75.97-75.51 Ma (Sampson et al. 2013, recalibrated after Roberts et al.); PBDB bins the collection as late Campanian.
Location
Formations
- Kaiparowits Formation · Utah
Places
- UMNH VP Locality 940, Grand Staircase-Escalante · Kaiparowits Formation · Utah · position approximate
These are the places where fossils have been found, not the full area where the animal lived.
Ecosystem
Lived in: Kaiparowits
floodplain, river system, swamp / wetland
Alluvial floodplains of large rivers on coastal southern Laramidia, with wetlands and swamps, west of the Western Interior Seaway.
Classification
- cladeDinosauria
- cladeOrnithischia
- cladeCeratopsia
- familyCeratopsidae
- subfamilyCentrosaurinae
- genusNasutoceratops
- speciesNasutoceratops titusi
Taxonomic status: Valid
Fossil record
| Catalog number | Status | Institution | Found |
|---|---|---|---|
| UMNH VP 16800 | Holotype | Natural History Museum of Utah (UMNH) | 2006 |
| UMNH VP 19466 | Referred specimen | Natural History Museum of Utah (UMNH) | — |
What has been found
Holotype: UMNH VP 16800
- Preserved
- Partial
- Reconstructed
- Unknown / not recorded
Holotype: UMNH VP 16800
Region by region (table)
| Region | State |
|---|---|
| Skull | Preserved |
| Mandible | Unknown / not recorded |
| Teeth | Unknown / not recorded |
| Cervical vertebrae | Partial · Syncervical. |
| Dorsal vertebrae | Partial · Three fragmentary dorsals. |
| Sacrum | Unknown / not recorded |
| Caudal vertebrae | Unknown / not recorded |
| Ribs | Unknown / not recorded |
| Gastralia | Unknown / not recorded |
| Scapula / shoulder girdle | Unknown / not recorded |
| Humerus | Preserved |
| Forearm (radius / ulna) | Partial |
| Hand (manus) | Unknown / not recorded |
| Pelvis | Unknown / not recorded |
| Femur | Unknown / not recorded |
| Tibia / fibula | Unknown / not recorded |
| Foot (pes) | Unknown / not recorded |
Referred specimen: UMNH VP 19466
Region by region (table)
| Region | State |
|---|---|
| Skull | Partial |
| Mandible | Unknown / not recorded |
| Teeth | Unknown / not recorded |
| Cervical vertebrae | Unknown / not recorded |
| Dorsal vertebrae | Unknown / not recorded |
| Sacrum | Unknown / not recorded |
| Caudal vertebrae | Unknown / not recorded |
| Ribs | Unknown / not recorded |
| Gastralia | Unknown / not recorded |
| Scapula / shoulder girdle | Unknown / not recorded |
| Humerus | Unknown / not recorded |
| Forearm (radius / ulna) | Unknown / not recorded |
| Hand (manus) | Unknown / not recorded |
| Pelvis | Unknown / not recorded |
| Femur | Unknown / not recorded |
| Tibia / fibula | Unknown / not recorded |
| Foot (pes) | Unknown / not recorded |
Discovery
- Year described
- 2013
- Described by
- Scott D. Sampson et al.
- Type specimen
- UMNH VP 16800
Discovery timeline
2006 · First material found
Nasutoceratops skull found at UMNH Locality 940
Found during the Kaiparowits Basin Project surveys of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
People: Eric K. Lund
2013 · Formally described
Sampson and colleagues name Nasutoceratops titusi
The "large-nosed horned face" is named in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
People: Scott D. Sampson, Eric K. Lund
In Jurassic Park & Jurassic World
Films
- Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
On screen
A horned herbivore that returns in Dominion after its debut in the short Battle at Big Rock.
Film vs fossils
- The real animal had a short snout and long, forward-curving brow horns, and is known from Utah.
Film titles are used for identification only. DinoDex is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Jurassic Park / Jurassic World franchise. All dinosaurs seen in the films
Sources
- (2026). Paleobiology Database: Nasutoceratops titusi occurrence and type collection 97803. The Paleobiology Database (paleobiodb.org), data service 1.2, accessed 2026-09-23. https://paleobiodb.org/data1.2/colls/list.json?coll_id=97803&show=paleoloc,strat,loc,ref,geo&pgm=gplates&vocab=pbdb (opens in a new tab)
- (2026). Wikipedia: Nasutoceratops. Wikipedia (English), accessed 2026-09-24. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasutoceratops (opens in a new tab)
- (2026). Wikipedia: Dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaurs_in_Jurassic_Park (opens in a new tab)
- Paul, G. S. (2016). The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs (2nd edition). Princeton University Press.
- Sampson, S. D., Lund, E. K., Loewen, M. A., Farke, A. A. & Clayton, K. E. (2013). A remarkable short-snouted horned dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (late Campanian) of southern Laramidia. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 280: 20131186. doi:10.1098/rspb.2013.1186 (opens in a new tab)