Triceratops
Triceratops horridus
One of the last large ceratopsians, Triceratops is a frequently found herbivore of the Late Cretaceous.
Image: Source: Allie_Caulfield Derivative: User:MathKnight · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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Characteristics
- Scientific name
- Triceratops horridus
- Period
- Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)
- Lived
- 68–66 Ma (68 million years ago)
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Habitat
- Plains, Forest
- Length (estimate)
- 8 m
- Mass (estimate)
- 8,000 kg
Description
Triceratops was a large quadrupedal herbivore with a bony neck frill and three facial horns. The horns may have been used in defence, combat between individuals or display; these functions need not be mutually exclusive. Its beak and rows of teeth formed a powerful battery for processing tough plants. Changes in the skull during growth mean that some named forms may represent different ages.
Habitat
Coastal plains and open woodlands of western North America.
Fossil sites
Hell Creek Formation, South Dakota
Hell Creek Formation
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Contemporaries in the database
Sources: Triceratops