Page created on : July 9, 1998
Last updated : August 20, 2004

During the Cretaceous-period, Styracosaurus is generally known for its rhino-like horn and the unusually long spines on its frill.

A huge creature, midway in size between a bull hippo and a bull elephant, it weighed about 4 metric tonnes and measured 5 meters in lenght. Males and females had different spines, and the Styracosaurus featured on the stamp displays the long backward pointing spines believed to denote a male specimen. Females, it is thought, had spines curving forward.

Specimens of this dinosaur have been found in Alberta and Montana where they roamed about 76 million years ago. The Alberta species differs from that found in Montana in that it had a greater number of frill spines.