Chasmosaurus ( ) is a
genus of
ceratopsid dinosaur from the Upper
Cretaceous Period of
North America. Its name means 'opening lizard', referring to the large openings (
fenestrae) in its frill (
Greek chasma meaning 'opening' or 'hollow' or 'gulf' and
sauros meaning 'lizard'). With a length of and a weight of ,
Chasmosaurus was a ceratopsian of average size. Like all ceratopsians, it was purely
herbivorous. It was initially to be called
Protorosaurus, but this name had been previously published for another animal. All specimens of
Chasmosaurus were collected from the
Dinosaur Park Formation of the
Dinosaur Provincial Park of Alberta,
Canada.
C. russelli comes from the lower beds of the formation while
C. belli comes from middle and upper beds.