Triceratops Conservation status: Fossil
Triceratops skeleton at the National Museum of Natural History.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Archosauria Order: Ornithischia Suborder: Ceratopia Genus: Triceratops
Species
T. prorsus T. horridus

Triceratops (meaning "three-horned face") was a herbivorous dinosaur that lived around the end of the Cretaceous period. All species of this now-extinct genus lived on the North American continent. It was about 9 m (30 ft) long, and probably weighed around 5,400 kg (12,000 lb).

In the United States, Triceratops is the official state fossil of South Dakota, and the official state dinosaur of Wyoming.

Contents

1 Horns and frill 2 Discovery 3 Classification 4 Triceratops in pop culture 5 External links

Horns and frill

The distinctive skull of Triceratops had a single horn on the snout above the nostrils, and a pair of horns approximately 1 m (3 ft) long above the eyes. The rear of the skull consisted of a relatively short bony frill.

Scientist think that the horns and the frill were used for several purposes:

• Defense against carnivores such as Tyrannosaurus rex.
• Communication between the herd members.
• Battling another Triceratops over female or territory.
• Courting females.
• A status symbol which reflects (or determines) the individual's status in the herd.
• Anchor points for the jaw muscles.
• Increasing body area to regulate temperature (see also: thermoregulation).

Discovery

Triceratops was discovered by John Bell Hatcher in 1888. Its declaration as a legitimate dinosaur came when an intact skull was found. It was named by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1889. Two years earlier, however, he misidentified the Triceratops as a type of bison. The sturdy nature of the animal's skull has ensured that many examples have been preserved as fossils, allowing variations between species and individuals to be studied.

Classification

Triceratops is a part of the Ceratopia group which included dinosaurs very similar to the Triceratops. Ceratopids differed primarily in body size and skull shape. Examples include: Torosaurus, Protoceratops, Monoclonius, Styracosaurus, and Pentaceratops.

Triceratops belongs to the ornithischian ("bird hipped") dinosaurs, and was a quadruped. Owing to evidence from fossil trackways showing the footprints of dozens of individuals, paleontologists believe that Triceratops lived in herds, similar to those of modern-day buffalo or moose. Its food was plants and shrubbery and its snout consisted of a sharp beak, which would have enabled it to break up and eat very tough vegetation. Behind the beak Triceratops had two lines of teeth for chewing food. Triceratops was approximately 9 m (30 ft) long and strongly built. It had strong legs, and a small hoof resided at the bottom of each finger or toe.

Known species of Triceratops are T. prorsus and T. horridus. The Diceratops was formerly believed to be a species of Triceratops as well, but is now believed to be a member of a separate genus and species.

Triceratops in pop culture

The Triceratops is Billy Cranston's first power source from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Countless dinosaur movies have included Triceratops. One Million Years B.C. (1966) features Triceratops in a memorable but anachronistic battle with Ceratosaurus. In Jurassic Park (1993), an immobilized Triceratops is depicted as having a mysterious illness, the role given to Stegosaurus in the novel.

External links

• Triceratops (http://www.cbv.ns.ca/marigold/history/dinosaurs/datafiles/triceratops.html) (short summary and good color illustration)
• Triceratops For Kids (http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/dinos/Triceratops.shtml) (a fact sheet about the Triceratops with activities for kids)
• Smithsonian Exhibit (http://www.mnh.si.edu/exhibits/triceratops/index.html)

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