Triceratops: The Toughest Of All Dinosaurs

Triceratops is a genus of ceratopsian dinosaur that lived during the late Cretaceous Period about 69 to 66 million years ago in what is now Western North America bearing a large bony frill three horns on the skull and a large four-legged body exhibiting convergent evolution with bines and rhinoceroses Triceratops is one of the most recognizable of all dinosaurs and is the best known ceratopsian it was one of the last known non-avian dinosaurs and lived until the Cretaceous paleogene Extinction event 66 million years ago it was one of the largest up to 9 M or 30 ft long and 5 to 9 tons in body mass it shared the landscape with and was most likely prayed upon by Tyrannosaurus though it is less certain that two adults would battle in the fanciful manner often depicted in music Museum displays and popular media the functions of the Frills and three distinctive facial horns on its head have inspired countless debates traditionally these have been viewed as defensive weapons against predators or primarily used in species identification courtship and dominance display much like the antlers and horns of modern ulet Triceratops inhabited flood Plains and wetlands near rivers and streams they they have used similar areas for grazing and nesting as many other herbivorous species do today fossilized Footprints suggest the Triceratops didn't move beyond their Wetland habitats they stayed in close proximity to water sources this creature was believed to consume mainly low-lying foliage such as ferns pads and Palms vegetation that would have been abundant in such an environment fossils of the Triceratops have been been discovered in locations like Montana Wyoming North and South Dakota as well as parts of Alberta Canada this suggests that the Triceratops had a relatively wide Geographic range in these regions like all chasmosaurines Triceratops had a large skull relative to its body size among the largest of all land animals the largest known skull is estimated to have been 2.5 M or 8.2 ft in length when complete and could reach almost a third of the length of the entire animal the front of the head was equipped with a large beak in front of its teeth the core of the top peak was formed by a special rostal bone behind it the premaxilla bones were located emed from behind by very large circular nostrils in chasmosaurines the premx met on their midline in a complex bone plate the rear edge of which was reinforced by the the naral Strut by the base of this strut a triangular process juted out into the nostril Triceratops differs from most relatives in that this process was hollowed out on the other side behind the toothless praxilla the maxilla bore 36 to 40 Toth positions in which 3 to 5 teeth per position were vertically stacked the teeth were closely oppressed forming a dental battery curving to the inside the skull bore a single horn on the snout above the nostrils in Triceratops the nose horn is sometimes recognizable as a separate oifc the epinal the skeleton of Triceratops is marketly robust both Triceratop species possessed a very sturdy build with Strong Limbs short hands with three Hooves each and short feet with four Hooves each the vertial column consisted of 10 neck 12 back back 10 sacal and about 45 tail vertebrae the front neck vertebrae were fused into a sin cervical traditionally this was assumed to have Incorporated the first three vertebrae thus implying that the frontmost atlas was very large and sported a neural spine although certainly quadrupedal the posture of horn dinosaurs has long been the subject of some debate originally it was believed that the front legs of the animal had to be sprawling at a considerable angle from the thorax in order to better bear the weight of the head triceratops and other ceratopsids maintained an upright stance during normal Locomotion with the elbow flexed to behind and slightly bowed out in an intermediate State between fully upright and fully sprawling comparable to the modern rhinoceros in Triceratops the weight of the body was carried by only the first three fingers ERS of the hand while digits four and five were vestigial and lacked claws or Hooves its sturdy legs and well-developed limb structure allowed for efficient movement but they were short which meant the dinosaur was not capable of taking long strides Triceratops could Trot or gallop and may have been able to reach running speeds of up to 25 kmph or 15 mph on a quick burst in terms of social behavior Triceratops may have exhibited both both solitary and social behavior depending on various factors such as age and reproductive Cycles preserved skin from Triceratops is known this skin consists of large scales some of which exceed 100 mm or 3.9 in across which have conical projections rising from their Center a preserved piece of skin from the frill of a specimen is also known which consists of small polygonal basement scales Triceratops had a weird neck one of the most distinctive features of Triceratops hides behind the large imposing frill it possesses a weird ball and socket neck joint the ball and socket joint located at the base of the skull allowed the skull to rotate in any direction this gave Triceratops the ability to move its head in a circular motion which would have been useful for foraging for food it likely would have also carried strong neck NE muscles which would have made it possible for the animal to rear its head up for defense as well as foraging all those horns and bony Frills made the Triceratops is head particularly heavy that skull was roughly 30% the length of a Triceratops is entire body for comparison we humans possess a pivotal joint in our necks which while allowing some degree of movement is not as flexible as those on a Triceratops our ball and socket joints are instead found in our hip and shoulder joints this is part of the reason why we can move our arms and legs in such a wide variety of ways analysis of the endocranial anatomy of Triceratops suggest its sense of smell was poor compared to that of other dinosaurs its ears were attuned to low frequency sounds Triceratops held its head about 45° to the ground an angle which would showcase the horns and frill most effectively that simultaneously allowed the animal to take advantage of food through grazing Triceratops were herbivorous and because of their low slung head their primary food was probably low growing vegetation although they may have been able to knock down taller plants with their horns beak and sheer bulk the Jaws were tipped with a deep narrow beak believed to have been better at grasping and plucking than biting Triceratops teeth were arranged in groups called batteries which contained 36 to 40 tooth columns in each side of each jaw and three to five stacked teeth per column depending on the size of the animal this gives a range of 432 to 800 teeth of which only a fraction were in use at any given time as tooth replacement was continuous throughout the life of the animal they functioned by shearing in a vertical to near vertical orientation the great size numerous teeth of Triceratops suggests that they ate l large volumes of fibrous plant matter some researchers suggest it ate palms and pyats and others suggest it ate ferns which then grew in prairies an American fossil collector named George Lyman Cannon is often credited as being the first to discover a Triceratops fossil a pair of horns attached to a skull plate near Denver Colorado in 1887 he sent the horns to ofal Charles Marsh a professor of vertebrate paleontology at yel University Marsh identified the partial remains as a prehistoric bison a year later John Bell Hatcher discovered a more complete skull in Wyoming causing Marsh to change his mind and identify the species as Triceratops paleontologist Charles mortram Sternberg discovered the first Triceratop specimen from Canada in 1921 which he found while working for the Geological Survey of Canada in southern Saskatchewan years later in 1946 Sternberg also discovered the first Triceratops fossil from Alberta found in the Edmonton formation now known as Horseshoe Canyon formation in 2014 a group of researchers looked at evolutionary changes in over 50 Triceratops skulls from the hell Creek formation in Montana they correlated the placement of the fossils in the rock with structural changes in the skulls the skulls of Triceratops Horus came exclusive exclusively from lower layers of rock while the skulls of Triceratops process came from the upper layers skulls from the middle layers had characteristics of both species of Triceratops suggesting that one species evolved into another over a period of 1 to 2 million years Triceratops were long thought to have used their horns and Frills in combat with large Predators such as Tyrannosaurus the idea being discussed first by Charles stanberg in 1917 and 70 years later by Robert backa there is evidence that Tyrannosaurus did have aggressive head-on encounters with Triceratops based on partially healed Tyrannosaur tooth marks on a Triceratops brow horn and sosal the bitten horn is also broken with new bone growth after the break which animal was the aggressor however is unknown paleontologist Peter Dodson estimates that in a battle the Triceratops had the upper hand and would successfully defend itself by inflicting fatal wounds to the Tyrannosaurus using its sharp horns however Tyrannosaurus is also known to have fed on Triceratops as shown by heavily tooth score Triceratops ilium and sacrum although specific details about Triceratops reproductive Behavior are limited It is believed that Triceratops laid eggs to reproduce after mating female Triceratops probably laid eggs in nests on the ground where they would have been incubated in favorable conditions until they hatched young Triceratops probably received parental care for the first few years of their life Triceratops exhibited rapid growth rates during their early years scientists have divided their growth into four phases namely babies juveniles subadults and adults fossil evidence suggests each of these stages was characterized by significant change in their physical features some of these changes include a reduction in the epox ifal bones of their Frills development of postorbital horns reorientation and hollowing out of the horns due to the notable differences between Triceratops individuals at different phases of growth scientists think several previously identified ceratopsian Genera may represent specific Triceratops growth phases why did Triceratops have a frill theories perhaps one of the most distinctive features of the Triceratops aside from its three pronounced horns is the large bony frill that extends over its neck their Frills were also theorized to have a number of purposes like the horns these purposes range from defense species identification Cooling and mating display Triceratops frill was a form of display a Triceratops skull is characterized by a large bony frill on top of the skull and three dramatic horns that extend from its head however despite its impressive size the frill was not particularly thick or strong and it was likely just a form of display these display functions could have been used both as warnings to predators to attract mates and show how strong the animal was and to warn other members of the herd of predators close by Thrills may have even been brightly colored to use as a visible signal to the herd and to recognize members of the species and group from a distance to show direction of travel it provided additional surface area for the attachment of jaw muscles the frill was highly vascular which means it had many channels allowing blood to flow to the jaw and around the head so while it may have served a defensive function probably used for display or inter species competition it may have also had a more basic and biological function Frills were thought although heavily disputed to have been necessary for the attach ATT M of jaw muscles this theory has not been accepted by the majority of scientists because in this case the head would have to be much less mobile it was a result of sexual selection researchers have long questioned the reason why a Triceratops thrill evolved some believe it is an aesthetic trait While others suggest it evolved as a means of attracting a mate the Triceratops frill is thought to evolve from females to males through sexual selection this process favors traits that the opposite sex will be attracted to such as horns and feathers and of course the most noticeable of these the Frills Triceratops frill protected it from fights between males although these horns may have been used as a signal or display of strength more than anything else they were also there as a deterrent and at times a weapon a large neck rail made of bone certainly would have afforded some protection against the horns of a competitor at least in head-on confrontations Triceratops frill helped to regulate body temperature the frill may have been primarily used to attract mates but it certainly had more uses than just a signpost for other triceratops or any other member of the ceratopsian family the frill and Horn caes of Triceratops were used as Thermo regulat structures with the horn cores interpreted as being especially important in the stabilization of brain temperatures at extreme ambient temperatures and the frill serving a more consistent role in body temperature regulation defense against predators finally and although it may be the most popular theory on the use case for all horn dinosaur Frills and horns is that they were used as defense against predators this theory is especially popular in movies with triceratops fighting Tyrannosaurus rexs and in the Jurassic Park series of movies however as much as it is cool to think of these two massive dinosaurs facing off against each other it would have been much rarer than most people think ancestors the size of big house cats by the time ceratopsian dinosaurs reached North America during the late Cretaceous Period they had evolved to the size of cattle but their distant progenitors were small occasionally bipedal and slightly comical looking Plante eaters that roamed Central and Eastern Asia one of the earliest identified ceratopsians was the late Jurassic chaoyang saurus which weighed 30 lb and had only the most rudimentary hint of horn and frill other early members of the horn frill dinosaur family may have been even smaller Triceratops wasn't alone in its horned Splendor dinosaurs like Triceratops were part of a group known as ceratopsids ceratopsids or horned dinosaurs are characterized by their elaborate frill s beak-like mouths and often impressive horns they thrive in the late Cretaceous Period roaming the lands of what is now North America and Asia some like these styracosaurus had spikes radiating from their Frills others like the pint-sized protoceratops that measured less than a meter high were a more modest Affair lacking the grandiose horns but still retaining the family resemblance all of these walked on four legs had a bulky build and had massive Frills and horns ceratopsian dinosaurs were hering animals and all lived in the late Cretaceous they were also all herbivorous Cosmos ceratops which lived in North America during the late Cretaceous Period about 76 to 75.9 million years ago had as much as 15 horns on its head which is why it has been aptly named ornate horn face the dinosaur was discovered in Utah by paleontologist Mark loen and and his team from the Utah museum of natural history between 2006 and 2007 Cosmos ceratops was an elephant sized quadrupedal dinosaur that weighed about 1.2 tons and was about 4.5 M or 15 ft in length it was heavily built standing at around 1.8 to 2 m or 6 to 6.5 ft tall at the shoulders and had a relatively shortened tail Cosmos ceratops also had one horn coming out of each of its cheeks and one on the tip of its nose the entire skull was about 6 ft or 2 m long the rest of the cosmos seratopical and other related dinosaurs may have been capable of short bursts of speed especially when defending their territories or escaping from predators juveniles would have undergone a period of rapid growth which was sustained until maturity a 2019 study by paleontologist Caroline Gail levit found a high number of bone cells osteocytes and a dense network of blood vessels in the long bones of Cosmos ceratops the presence of these features also suggests the cosmos seratopical pinosa surus meaning thick noosed lizard is an extinct genus of ceratopsian dinosaur that lived during the late Cretaceous Period 75 to 69 M it was a large herbivorous orian and was closely related to the more famous Triceratops first named in 1950 pinosa orus was unlike any other ceratopsid instead of horns over its nose and eyes pakyan aurus bore a lumpy mass of bone looking like an enormous tree stump in the following decades the strange lumpy nose technically known as a nasal boss confounded explanation it was usually thought to be covered with a thick layer of keratin the same material that makes up Claws and beaks occasionally fanciful interpretations emerged including the nasal boss being used as a bird bath or the nasal boss being the Bony base of a gigantic cone-shaped corn size estimates for the largest paky rhinosaurus species paky rhinosaurus canadensis indicate lengths of 6 to 8 m or 19.7 to 26.2 ft and a weight of 3 to 3.6 tons it was a herding social animal that usually traveled in large groups the development of characteristics useful in sexual selection including competition between males such as pronounced nasal bosses occur at approximately 9 years of age aosa surus is a genus of ceratopsid dinosaur that lived during the late crous period of what is now North America about 74.2 million years ago the first fossils of aosa surus were collected in Montana in 1987 by a team led by Jack herner with more finds made in 1989 acosa surus supposedly was about 9 M or 20 ft long with a weight of about 3 t tons 3.3 short tons as a ceratopsian it walked on all fours had a short tail and a large head with a hooked beak it had a bony neck frill at the rear of the skull which sported a pair of long spikes which curved towards the outside a dull tacosaurus had rough bosses roundish protuberances above the eyes and on the snout where other centros sorin often had horns in the same positions these bosses were covered by a thick layer of keratin but their exact shape in life is uncertain some researchers hypothesize that the bosses were used in fights with the animals butting each other's heads as well as for display auloa surus would have been a herbivore and it appears to have had a high metabolic rate though lower than that of modern mammals and birds

Channel: Earth 2.0

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Keywords: triceratops, dinosaurs, late cretaceous period, triceratops documentary, prehistoric documentary, ceratopsian dinosaur, triceratops frill, triceratops horns, dinosaur documentary, Kosmoceratops, Pachyrhinosaurus, Achelousaurus, triceratops ancestors

Id: R-tk6JPRoys

Length: 22min 24sec (1344 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 04 2024