Vegaceratops by a Pond

Vegaceratops by a Pond

(This is a new drawing.)

Vegaceratops toy or model by Safari Ltd.
(I own this toy and I highly recommend the company.
 In fact I have a collection of this company's toys.
 The toys are hand painted and of very high quality as well as being very durable.)

Vegaceratops was a large Ceratopsian dinosaur from around 72-84 million years ago in North America.  It was found in what is now the USA State of Montana.  It had a large nose horn and a bunch of tiny horns on the top and sides of its somewhat flat frill.  It was around 20 feet or 6 meters long.  It weighed around 1-2 tons.  It was named by Dr. Scott Sampson and several other Paleontologists.  If you are a fan, like my grandkids and I are. . . of the show Dinosaur Train, you will recognize Dr. Scott Sampson as "Dr. Scott" who teaches paleontology at the end of each episode. 

The tiny horns on the top and sides of the frill were probably for attracting mates and species identification.  So, a Vegaceratops could recognize its own kind by the pattern of the horns on the frill. . . and the short nose horn.

By the way, Ceratopsians are the horned dinosaurs that were herbivores (plant eaters) and had a frill or a kind of shield that seems to protect their neck.  Some Ceratopsians did not have horns but a kind of battering ram or no horns at all. 

If you are wondering about the flowers in the picture. . . know that there is firm evidence that flowering plants. . . including lillies . . . existed during the Cretaceous Period and even before.

I have drawn Vegaceratops before, however this new drawing at the top of the post today is a bit more carefully done and more correct.  The older drawing is below.  Try and see how the two pictures are different and how they are the same.   This would be a good activity for young kids.  I'm doing it for my 3 year old granddaughter.

Here are some questions to help kids find the differences in the two drawings:
1.  What is the Vegaceratops (or dinosaur) doing in each picture?
2.  Where is the dinosaur in each picture?
3.  Which picture has water in it?
4.  Which picture has a volcano in it?
5.  What is the same in each drawing?
6.  How are the flowers different in each picture?
7.  How are the Cycad trees in the drawing different?
8.  How are the Cycad trees the same in each picture?  (NOTE:  Cycads LOOK like palm trees... but they have cones.)
9.  Which picture has ferns?
10.  Which picture has grass? . . . or do they BOTH have grass?
11.  Which drawing has pine trees?
12.  Which picture has a Vegaceratops with Spots on its side?

Vegaceratops

I am including some drawings I did in the past from Dinosaur Train.  The show is now cancelled so they are not currently making more, however, KIDS Network is still showing it and it is an excellent educational and FUN program.   Remember that my new drawings, in printable form, are at the bottom of the lists.  The lists of printable drawings are found by clicking the buttons up top.

Apatosaurus  Dinosaur Train

Eoraptor from Dinosaur Train