Facts about Triceratops

Dinosaurs were present on the Earth much before humans. Now, they are extinct, but we are still very much fascinated by these creatures. Triceratops is one such species of dinosaurs which lived some 65 million years ago and belonged to the Cretaceous Period. The meaning of triceratops is three horned face. The most distinguishing feature of the Triceratops is the three big horns it had on its face. There were 16 different kinds of triceratops.

Here are some more important facts about Triceratops:

• The Triceratops were one of the largest among all dinosaurs. The length of its body varied from seven to nine meters and the height was of around 3 meters. Their body weight was in between six to twelve tons.
• Triceratops had a strong built body with four limbs. The fore limbs were comparatively shorter and had five hooves while the rear limbs had four hooves.
• The skull size of this dinosaur is the largest among all the land animals found so far. Out of the three horns, one was above its nostrils and the other two were above its two eyes. Approximate length of each horn was one meter.
• The skin of the Triceratops were quite thick and leathery. They had a large bony plate or frill behind the skull which was curved upward.
• Their teeth were arranged in a number of tooth columns. The number of teeth varied form 430 to 800. At any given point of time, they used only one section of the teeth. The big shape, size and number of teeth suggests that they used to eat large quantities of fibrous plants.
• Triceratops were herbivore and they survived on various types of plants and trees. Due to their low head, it is believed they mostly ate shrubs and bushes. They used their horns and beaks to knock down branches of big trees. The tilted form of jaws and deep narrow beak provide evidence that they were good at grasping and plucking, but not in biting.
• Despite being herbivorous, Triceratops were very ferocious in nature.
• Earlier, it was believed that Triceratops lived a solitary life. However, they used to live in groups and each group had one group leader.
• They lived on the Earth around the same time as the Tyrannosaurus. Hence, it is believed that they had great enmity with the Tyrannosaurus. They took advantage of the huge size of their body and three big horns to scare away all their enemies.
• Triceratops lived mostly in the rocky mountains of North America. It was only in the later part of nineteenth century that two American fossil hunters, Othniel C Marsh and Barium Brown discovered evidence on the existence of this dinosaur on Earth.

The exact function of the frills and the facial horn has not been ascertained as yet. According to some traditional theory, Triceratops used them as their weapons against predators. While other evidence suggests that they were meant for making an impression on their mates or to show their supremacy over other males. No concrete evidence have been found so far to support either of the two theories. Research and studies are on as we speak to find out more interesting facts about this magnificent creature.