How would you describe a Triceratops?
How would you describe a Triceratops?
Triceratops, (genus Triceratops), large quadrupedal plant-eating ceratopsian dinosaur that had a frill of bone at the back of its skull and three prominent horns. Only later did further discoveries reveal that it was actually a horned dinosaur.
What does tops mean in Triceratops?
‘three-horned face’ Type of dinosaur: ceratopsian.
Why did Triceratops have frills?
Why the frill? The Triceratops frill might have helped to protect its neck, but some specimens show Tyrannosaurus bite marks puncturing the frill, so it wasn’t always enough. The frills could also have been used to attract mates, as a way for members of the same species to recognise each other.
What are the spikes on a Triceratops called?
Its head was ornamented with three horns, a short one above its mouth and two long ones above each eye. Behind these horns was a head frill made of bone and studded with small spikes called epoccipitals.
How does a Triceratops look like?
The body of the Triceratops was big and round, planted on top of short sturdy legs. It was 8 meters long, about 3 meters tall and weighed somewhere between 6 and 12 tons (the size of an elephant). Triceratops means “Three Horned Face” in Greek. Triceratops horns could be up to 115 cm (45 inches) long.
How did the Triceratops behave?
Behavior. Triceratops behavior is not completely understood. It clearly grazed on the tough vegetation, but whether it did so in large herds like buffalo is an unanswered question. Fossil evidence shows that it did battle with T-rex on occasion, and could survive the encounter.
What is the meaning of T Rex?
The name Tyrannosaurus rex comes from the Greek words tyranno (“tyrant”) and saurus (“lizard”) and the Latin word rex (“king”). So, Tyrannosaurus rex means something like “king of the tyrant lizards.” It is commonly called T. rex for short.
Why is a brontosaurus not really a dinosaur?
Brontosaurus has a colorful history. Named by O.C. Marsh in the 1880s, the dinosaur was identified in 1903 as a member of the Apatosaurus genus, which Marsh had found a few years earlier. So the “thunder lizard” was condemned to the realm of the scientifically invalid, becoming the dinosaur that “never even existed.”
Do Triceratops lay eggs?
Triceratops like most dinosaurs are believed to have laid eggs in small clutches in a nest and guarded by the female until they were ready to hatch.
Does Triceratops eat meat?
Triceratops were herbivores, meaning they ate plants and not animals or meat. The Triceratops had rows and rows of teeth as well as a sharp hard beak, allowing them to slice and crush all sorts of vegetation.
What is a Triceratops with one horn?
Styracosaurus was a genus of herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur from the Cretaceous, about 76.5 to 75 million years ago. This is a type of dinosaur that somewhat resembles a Triceratops. However they have only one horn, the one on their nose that is longer than those of a Triceratops.
What was a Triceratops habitat like?
Habitat of the Triceratops These dinosaurs likely lived in dry, forested areas and plains where vegetation was plentiful. Ferns, cycads, and palms, were likely plentiful in these habitats.
What kind of body does a Triceratops have?
Bearing a large bony frill and three horns on its large four-legged body, and conjuring similarities with the modern rhinoceros, Triceratops is one of the most recognizable of all dinosaurs.
Where did the Triceratops Dinosaur live in the Cretaceous period?
Triceratops (tri·cer·a·tops) (pronounced /traɪˈsɛrətɒps/) is an extinct genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 66.038 million years ago (mya) in what is now North America.
When was the Triceratops found in Denver Colorado?
The Triceratops is a quadrupedal herbivore that lived during the late Cretaceous period—or about 68 million years ago. This dinosaur was first discovered near Denver, Colorado in 1887. When it was first discovered it was believed to have been an unusual type of bison.
What was the purpose of the horns of the Triceratops?
The second theory suggests that this animal’s horns served a very limited purpose in combat and was instead used during courtship rituals. Although the word Triceratops means 3 horned face, this dinosaur actually only had 2 proper horns. The third horn was made out of soft proteins and wasn’t a proper horn.
