Triceratops horridus
"Horrible three-horned face" (Marsh, 1889)
"try-ser-rah-tops ho-rid-uss"
Horrible herbivore
Triceratops, the eight-ton sparring partner of
T. rex, browsed the coastal lowlands of Montana 67 to 65 million years ago. Because of its horny beak, it was probably a more choosey feeder than the broad-snouted duckbill dinosaurs that shared its habitat.
The classic ceratopsian neck frill is formed from bones that grew from the back of the braincase. In
Triceratops, this frill is made of a solid sheet of bone. Many of its relatives had longer frills, but these were mostly simple struts surrounding open hollows.
The famous three horns on its head were probably used for displays and strength contests with other
Triceratops. It was formerly thought that the frill evolved for protecting the neck from tyrannosaur attacks and that the horns were used in defense. However, the hollow frills of other species would not be so useful for protection, and some types of ceratopsians have no facial horns at all! In fact, the horns probably were locked with other
Triceratops in displays of strength. It was probably brightly colored to attract attention, especially in the breeding season. The horns and frill changed shape as it grew to an adult; this gave each animal a slightly different look.
Triceratops lived in the final two million years of the Cretaceous period.
Triceratops became extinct 65 million years ago, the time when scientists believe a cataclysmic event led to mass extinctions. This sudden climate change is called the K/T Boundary, and it closed the Cretaceous period and opened the Tertiary period.
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Size: 26 ft long
