Devil Horned Face

Diabloceratops eatoni was a medium-sized ceratopsian dinosaur that roamed the lush, subtropical forests of southern Laramidia approximately 79 million years ago. Its most striking feature was a pair of long, curved horns that swept backward from the top of its elaborate neck frill, giving it a devilish appearance that inspired its dramatic name. Unlike its later relatives like Triceratops, Diabloceratops had relatively small brow horns above its eyes, while its nasal horn was modest in size.

The frill of Diabloceratops was adorned with smaller hornlets along its edges, creating an impressive display structure likely used for species recognition and mate selection. As a herbivore, it possessed a parrot-like beak and rows of shearing teeth perfect for processing the tough cycads, ferns, and flowering plants of its ecosystem.

Discovered in the Wahweap Formation of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, Diabloceratops represents one of the oldest and most basal centrosaurine ceratopsids known from North America. Its discovery in 2002 by paleontologist Don DeBlieux filled a significant gap in the ceratopsid fossil record, demonstrating that centrosaurines had already diversified into distinctive forms by the late Campanian age. The species name honors Jeffrey Eaton, who made substantial contributions to understanding the paleontology of southern Utah.