Triceratops is one of the most famous dinosaurs. It is also one of the best-researched dinosaurs and easily recognizable because of its headgear (three horns), unique among dinosaurs. Was Triceratops dangerous? Probably not. Fossilized track marks do not suggest that they were carnivorous. Chances are they’re very similar to rhinos (huge herbivores with horns on their skull) and preferred to be left alone.
Here are the most interesting facts about triceratops!
The Triceratops is a dinosaur that lived on earth during the late cretaceous period, from about 68 million years ago to 65 million years ago. The name Triceratops means three-horned-face because of the 3 horns located on its face and head.
It was a huge animal that could be around 9 meters long and 5 meters tall at the hips (19 feet). That’s larger than an elephant! It had a stocky build with 3 horns on its head; two smaller ones over the eyes and a larger, blunt one in the back.
A baby triceratops is called a hatchling.
The Triceratops was an herbivore, and it ate plants like ferns, cycads, horsetails, and conifers. Thus, one of the most common dinosaurs was found, but not as many complete skeletons have been discovered due to scavenging animals.
Triceratops lifespan was about 80-90 years. At least that’s what paleontologists believe after comparing Triceratops to similar herbivores of the same size – like elephants.
It was the last living member of the “Ceratopsia” family (a group of dinosaurs with beaks, many of them had horns like the Triceratops) and disappeared approx. 66 million years ago, along with most other dinosaurs (most likely), when an asteroid hit the earth.
Early Triceratops had a more slender horn on the forehead, but the horns increased in size and became blunter as they evolved.
Other dinosaurs that lived during the same time were the Titanosaurier and the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Predators (carnivores/meat-eating animals that would hunt other animals) like the T Rex were the reason why the Triceratops evolved horns and large bony frill – as an adaptation for protection.
However, the Triceratops is not the only dinosaur with horns; some had two horns on their heads (like a bison), and others even had four!
Also, the Triceratops is not the only dinosaur with a bony frill on its neck; some had even more! Yes, I’m talking about you, Styracosaurus!
Triceratops lived n what is now North America.
Fossil evidence suggests Triceratops could also run as fast as a Rhino – about 25 miles per hour (40 km/h).
The Triceratops was one of the last dinosaurs to appear before an asteroid hit the earth and all dinosaurs disappeared.
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