Gremlin (named after the mythical creature of the same name) is a genus of leptoceratopsidceratopsian dinosaurs from the Campanian stage of the Cretaceous period, 77 million years ago. It contains one species, Gremlin slobodorum, named in 2023 by Michael J. Ryan and colleagues from a frontal bone found in the Oldman Formation of Alberta. It can be distinguished from other leptoceratopsids by a ridge on the frontal that runs transversely from the midline of the skull outwards to the top end of the orbit.[1]
The Gremlinholotype specimen, TMP 2011.053.0027, was discovered in sediments of the Oldman Formation in southern Alberta, Canada. The specimen consists of an isolated right frontal bone which has lost portions of its anterolateral margin, possibly due to erosion.[1] In a 2022 conference abstract authored by L. Micucci and colleagues, they tentatively referred the specimen to Cerasinops since its holotype was found in rock layers of a similar age.[2]
In 2023, Ryan and colleagues describedGremlin slobodorum as a new genus and species of leptoceratopsid based on these fossil remains. The generic name, "Gremlin", refers to the small troublesome mythical creatures of the same name. The specific name, "slobodorum", honors Ed and Wendy Sloboda who have contributed to paleontology in Canada and were involved in the holotype's discovery.[1]
^ abcdRyan, M.J.; Micucci, L.; Rizo, H.; Sullivan, C.; Lee, Y.-N.; Evans, D.C. (2023). "A New Late Cretaceous leptoceratopsid (Dinosauria: Ceratopsia) from the Oldman Formation (Campanian) of Alberta, Canada". In Lee, Y.-N. (ed.). Windows into Sauropsid and Synapsid Evolution: Essays in Honor of Prof. Louis L. Jacobs. Seoul: Dinosaur Science Center Press. pp. 151–165. ISBN978-89-5708-358-1.