The Triceratops is another famously well known dinosaur and one beloved by kids. It is the best-known horned dinosaur, weighing around 9 tons. This dinosaur was one of the last to live on Earth, being a part of the last part of the Cretaceous period.
This Dinosaur is famously known as being food for the Tyrannosaurus Rex. It was a plant-eater with a large beak as well as many sharp teeth for chewing.
Despite looking a lot like a Rhino, Triceratops were likely much slower than other dinosaurs and had to rely on their horns for protection. It also had a large frill on top of its head, which acted as a counterbalance to the weight of its protruding head, as well as protection for its neck.
Triceratops Quick Facts (At a glance)
Here is a quick overview of important facts about the Triceratops:
Meaning: Three-Horned Face
Time-Period: Late Cretaceous
Group: Ceratopsia
Diet: Herbivore
Size: 30 feet (9 meters) long
Fossil Locations: Canada, USA 1889
Triceratops Basic Information
- Name: Triceratops
- Pronunciation: try-SER-a-tops
- Meaning: Three-Horned Face
- Time-Period: Late Cretaceous 68-66 Ma
- Group: Ceratopsia
- Classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Reptilia
- Order: Ornithischia
- Family: Ceratopsidae
- Subfamily: Chasmosaurinae
- Tribe: Triceratopsini
- Genus: Triceratops
- Species: T. horridus, T. prorsus
- Diet: Plants
- Fossil Locations: Canada, USA 1889
Where Did Triceratops Live?
The majority of Triceratops fossils have been found in western North America, just like the T. Rex.
Their fossils have been found in modern-day western North America:
- Montana
- Wyoming
- South Dakota
- North Dakota
- Colorado
66 million years ago, this region was full of warm forests, rivers, and floodplains. This was where large plant-eating dinosaurs like the Triceratops lived.
Triceratops Physical Characteristics
Triceratops were much smaller than the large T. rex, and lower to the ground. Although they are still massive compared to today’s land animals.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
- Size (Length/Height): 30 feet (9 meters) long
- Horns and Frill: The two horns above their eyes are usually 3 feet (1 meter) or longer. Much like cattle, the horn is a part of its skull.
- Weight: 9 Tons
- Teeth: Had a sharp beak for nipping off plants, and smaller teeth for chewing its food.
- Eyesight: The Triceratops had eyes on the sides of its head, showing it was a prey animal.
- Smell: While scientists can’t tell for sure, they suggest that its sense of smell was poor when compared to other dinosaurs.
- Hearing: Having short ear holes, this Dinosaur was likely tuned to lower frequency sounds.
What Did Triceratops Eat?
Triceratops were herbivores. Due to a low-hanging head, the Triceratops mainly grazed on low-growing vegetation.
It is speculated that they may have been able to knock down taller plants to consume as well. The plants they ate were probably highly fibrous plants; these include ferns, palms, conifers, and cycads.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Additional Facts
- Most-Found Fossil: The Triceratops is the most-found fossil, and is one of the most documented.
- Triceratops living in herds: Believe it or not, Triceratops actually didn’t live in herds once they matured, and instead lived individually, spending their lives in solitude except to mate.
- Juvenile Herds: It is speculated that some Juvenile Triceratops would live together in small groups until they mature. This is due to a small group of 3 juvenile fossils found together.
- Triceratops’ Frill: Not only did the frill protect their neck, but it is also speculated that it was a way to attract mates and determine members of the same species for mating.
- First Discovery: The Triceratops was originally discovered by Othniel Charles Marsh, an American Scientist who found a pair of horn cores belonging to Triceratops.
Famous Triceratops Skeletons
Big John
Big John is a fossilized Triceratops Horridus skeleton. This is a famous skeleton because it is both the largest known Triceratops skeleton and it was the most expensive at auction.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The skeleton is named after the owner of the ranch on the land where the fossil was found and excavated. The skeleton is also about 5-10% bigger than that of other Triceratops, with both its horns being even longer than 3 feet. He is also estimated to be around 60% complete, which is very high for fossils.
Raymond
A nearly complete articulated skeleton of a Triceratops was found in 1994, where the entire right side of the dinosaur was preserved. Since the two sides of the Triceratops were mirror images, Raymond actually gave paleontologists a basically complete image of a Triceratops.
Raymond is quite special because it is the only articulated skeleton of a Triceratops discovered so far.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
This fossil has been put on display in Tokyo, Japan, at the National Science Museum.