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Name: Triceratops
Pronunciation: tri-SER-ah-tops Translation: Three Horn Face Diet: Herbivore Height: 8 feet (2.4 meters) Length: 28 feet (8.5 meters) Weight: 7 Tons (6,400 kilos) Location: Western U.S., Southwest Canada Time: Late Cretaceous Period (65 MYA) |
Triceratops was the largest member of the Ceratopsian family. Their large, strong beaks and long rows of cheek teeth were well designed for chewing the tough, low-lying plants of the Late Cretaceous. It was likely that the main predator of these animals was Tyrannosaurus Rex, as a number of Triceratops skeletons show bite marks that match the teeth of Tyrannosaurus Rex
Triceratops had one of the largest skulls of any land animal. An adult’s skull could reach up to 6 feet (2 m) long. Its head was nearly one-third as long as its body. The large bony plate projecting from the back of the Triceratops skull is known as a frill.
Triceratops was probably a herding animal, like the other Ceratopsians. This hypothesis is supported by the finding of bone beds, large deposits of bones of the same species in an area.
It was among the last of the dinosaur species to evolve before the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction 65 million years ago.
Triceratops had one of the largest skulls of any land animal. An adult’s skull could reach up to 6 feet (2 m) long. Its head was nearly one-third as long as its body. The large bony plate projecting from the back of the Triceratops skull is known as a frill.
Triceratops was probably a herding animal, like the other Ceratopsians. This hypothesis is supported by the finding of bone beds, large deposits of bones of the same species in an area.
It was among the last of the dinosaur species to evolve before the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction 65 million years ago.