Pronunciation: BRAH-vo-SEH-ruh-tops
Meaning: Wild horn-face
Author/s: Wick and Lehman (2013)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Texas, USA
Discovery Chart Position: #845
Bravoceratops polyphemus
Although similar in size to other heavyweight and impressively-brow-horned chasmosaurines like Triceratops and Torosaurus, Bravoceratops differs in several key features. Its skull sports long, robust cheek "horns" and a notably narrow snout, while the bony frill that protrudes from the rear of its skull is unusually long, giving the head a total length of some seven feet. The frill sports two openings, divided by a long bone that splays out into a fan shape at the top and sports a round indentation that may have anchored a small hornlet in life. Some experts suspect Bravoceratops may be closely related to Coahuilaceratops from what is now northern Mexico, but the pair lack much in the way of overlapping bones for a direct comparison.
Bravoceratops hails from the Javelina Formation of Big Bend National Park, which isn't renowned for its ceratopsian dinosaurs. Fortunately, its remains were discovered just in time to be weaved into a spectacular replica skull for inclusion in the Park's new fossil discovery exhibit hall that will showcase many of the best finds from the area and is due to open in January 2017. Bravo!
Bravoceratops hails from the Javelina Formation of Big Bend National Park, which isn't renowned for its ceratopsian dinosaurs. Fortunately, its remains were discovered just in time to be weaved into a spectacular replica skull for inclusion in the Park's new fossil discovery exhibit hall that will showcase many of the best finds from the area and is due to open in January 2017. Bravo!
(Polyphemus' Wild horn face)Etymology
Bravoceratops is derived from "Rio Bravo del Norte" (wild river of the north: the Mexican name for the Rio Grande that separates the Big Bend National Park of western Texas and north Mexico) and the Greek "keras" (horn) and "-ops" (face).
The species epithet (or specific name), polyphemus, refers to the probable horn-anchoring indentaton on its frill that resembles the eye of Polyphemus: a giant cyclops, the son of Poseidon and Thoosa, from Greek mythology.
Discovery
The remains of Bravoceratops were discovered at "Hippiewalk" in the lowermost part of the Javelina Formation, northeast of Paint Gap Hills, Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA, in 2011. The holotype (TMM 46015-1, housed at Texas Memorial Museum, Austin, Texas) is a partial, fragmentary skull, that was found strewn around an area ten meters square.
