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Triceratops

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Triceratops
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous
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A restoration of Larry the Triceratops
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
Order: †Ornithischia
Suborder: †Ceratopsia
Family: †Ceratopsidae
Subfamily: †Chasmosaurinae
Tribe: †Triceratopsini
Genus: †Triceratops
Marsh, 1889
Type species
†Triceratops horridus
Marsh, 1889
Referred species
  • †Triceratops horridus
    (Marsh, 1889)
  • †Triceratops prorsus
    (Marsh, 1890)
Synonyms

Triceratops (meaning "Three-horned face") is an extinct genus of ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period. The type species is Triceratops horridus.

Discovery and Naming[]

The oldest specimen discovered was a brow horn found by George Lyman Cannon near Denver, Colorado in 1887. Because the existence of ceratopsians weren't recognized, Cannon shipped it to Othniel Charles Marsh where he identified it as a bovid and named it Bison alticornis. However, he changed his mind after a third and a complete skull was discovered. The holotype specimen (YPM 1820) was later discovered in the Lance Formation of Wyoming by John Bell Hatcher. The holotype was named Ceratops horridus. However, when further preparation uncovered the third horn, he named it as Triceratops. After the type species was discovered, many species of Triceratops were discovered, too, though only the second species, T. prorsus is recognized today.

Description[]

It was a very large animal, measuring around 8–9 m (26–30 ft) in length and weighing up to 6–10.97 metric tons (6.6–12.1 short tons). It had a large skull relative to its body size. The largest known skull (MWC 7584) is measured to be 2.5 meters (8.2 ft) in length. The skull also featured a pair of supraorbital horns approximately 1 meter (3.3 ft) long, with one above each eye.

Classification[]

Triceratops is a genus of ceratopsian dinosaur found in the family Ceratopsidae and subfamily Chasmosaurinae. Its sister taxon is Torosaurus, which lived alongside it. The two and Titanoceratops form the tribe Triceratopsini. Triceratops is the best known genus of ceratopsid with the animal having several dozen specimens from all growth stages, making up a large percentage of the biomass in its formation. From this, the genus is used as a reference for other related genera on their morphology where less complete species may fall short.

Paleoecology[]

It lived with Tyrannosaurus, many ornithischians, other ceratopsians, and other pachycephalosaurids, etc.

Species[]

Valid species[]

  • T. horridus (Marsh, 1889) (originally Ceratops) (type species)
  • T. prorsus (Marsh, 1890)

Doubtful species[]

The following species are considered nomina dubia ("dubious names"), and are based on remains that are too poor or incomplete to be distinguished from pre-existing Triceratops species.

  • T. albertensis (C. M. Sternberg, 1949)
  • T. alticornis (Marsh, 1887 (originally Bison))
  • T. eurycephalus (Schlaikjer, 1935)
  • T. galeus (Marsh, 1889)
  • T. ingens (Lull, 1915)
  • T. maximus (Brown, 1933)
  • T. sulcatus (Marsh, 1890)

Misassignments[]

  • T. brevicornus (Hatcher, 1905) (=T. prorsus)
  • T. calicornus (Marsh, 1898) (=T. horridus)
  • T. elatus (Marsh, 1891) (=T. horridus)
  • T. flabellatus (Marsh, 1889) (=T. horridus)
  • T. hatcheri (Lull, 1907) (=Diceratus hatcheri)
  • T. mortuarius (Cope, 1874) (nomen dubium; originally Polyonax; =Polyonax mortuarius)
  • T. obtusus (Marsh, 1898) (=T. horridus)
  • T. serratus (Marsh, 1890) (=T. horridus)
  • T. sylvestris (Cope, 1872) (nomen dubium; originally Agathaumas sylvestris)

In The Media[]

  • Triceratops appeared in all 6 Jurassic Park movies. However, it only played an important role in the first film, where an individual is sick and has collapsed, leading the characters to try to figure out what's wrong with it. Unlike the originals, the adult clones have triangular epoccipitals around their frills but in real life, the triangular epoccipitals can only be found on young and juveniles. It also shows that it has jugal cheek horns instead of one cheek horn on each side of the head.
  • Triceratops is an enemy in Jurassic Park arcade games.
  • Triceratops appeared in the BBC documentary, The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs, tested how Triceratops would defend itself against large predators like Tyrannosaurus rex. To see if Triceratops could charge other dinosaurs like a rhinoceros, an artificial Triceratops skull was made and propelled into simulated T. rex skin at 24 km/h (15 mph). The brow horns penetrated the skin, but the blunt nose horn and beak could not, and the front of the skull broke. The program therefore concluded that it would have been impossible for Triceratops to defend itself in this way - instead, it probably stood its ground when attacked by large predators, using its horns if the predator came close enough.
  • Triceratops was seen in Dinosaur Hunting (XBOX) on Stage 9, where 3 Triceratops are tranquilized and rescued.
  • It appears in Disney's Fantasia during The Rite of Spring segment.
  • It appears in the Carnivores game series and Primal Prey.
  • There were several Triceratops from the TV series Dinosaurs.
  • Triceratops also appear in many silent cheap movies about dinosaurs and documentaries.
  • TRICERATOPS is the name of a Japanese Band.
  • Triceratops appeared in the movie Dinosaur Island (2002 film), where a mother Triceratops sees Leo stealing her eggs and began charging at him.
  • A popular children book named The Enormous Egg features a Triceratops.
  • In the 1980s cartoon, Dino-Riders, the Rulons used numerous Triceratops.
  • The Transformers characters of Slag, Slug, Snarl, Knockdown, Ironlunge, Thunderlips, Stockade, Triceradon, and Guiledart each turn into a Triceratops.
  • The shorthand "Trike" is another common informal name, and is also the name of the Triceratops character in the children's book series and television cartoon series Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs. Other TV series include Dinosaucers, Dino-Riders, and Dinozaurs.
  • A recurring theme, especially in children's dinosaur books, is a climactic showdown or battle between Triceratops and T. rex. As such these two dinosaurs are often depicted and thought of as natural enemies. A memorable but anachronistic battle with Ceratosaurus substituting for T. rex is featured in the 1966 movie One Million Years B.C.
  • Triceratops stars in the anime film Age of the Great Dinosaurs where one is befriended by the main characters (who traveled back in time) before sacrificing itself in vain to defeat the film's main antagonist, a Tyrannosaurus with a gouged out eye.
  • In the book You Are Umasou (along with the anime adaptations), Heart, a Tyrannosaurus raised by a Maiasaura, witnesses a Triceratops battle a pack of other tyrannosaurs. Triceratops makes many cameos later.
  • Triceratops was featured in the documentary Dinosaur Revolution, where a bull Triceratops battled and lost to a pair of Tyrannosaurus rex named Stumpy & Tinkerbelle. However, its corpse was used to kill a single Tyrannosaurus named Jack Palance, a rival of Stumpy’s and Tinkerbelle’s.
  • It was featured in an episode of Primeval: New World.
  • Triceratops was featured in several episodes of the 2006 BBC documentary television series, Prehistoric Park. One young teenaged male that Nigel Marvin saved was named Theo. He was the first, though unexpected, arrival to arrive at the park.
  • Dinosaurs Decoded and Prehistoric Denver are two more documentaries this world-renowned dinosaur's been in.
  • Triceratops prorsus will appear in the game Saurian as a playable dinosaur.
  • Triceratops also makes a cameo in the last episode of Walking With Dinosaurs, but as a carcass. It is briefly mentioned in the book.
  • Triceratops appearances in 2 episodes of the 4 part PBS documentary program The Dinosaurs! "Flesh on the Bones" & "The Death of the Dinosaurs". It also appeared on the final episode of the Six part PBS NATURE Program Triumph of Life as a Skeleton ghost next to a White Rhinoceros.
  • Triceratops becomes one of the playable Vivosaurs in Fossil Fighters series.
  • Triceratops appeared in the Rugrats where it was seen as a toy in the episode Toy Palace and Princess Angelica. It also made its appearance in the episode Reptar 2010 where it battles Tyrannosaurus rex.
  • In the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise and Mirage comics, an alien species called the Triceratons have made numerous appearances. The turtles have also encountered dinosaurs in some episodes of the television shows.
  • The Triceratops is one of the tameable creatures in ARK: Survival Evolved.
  • The Triceratops is one of the first creatures you get in Parkasaurus.
  • Triceratops made an appearance in the Roblox game called "Dinosaur Simulator." Defaulted to you as a free skin, along with Tyrannosaurus rex.
  • Triceratops makes an appearance in the roblox game Era of Terror and its remake. In the original, it was notorious for being able to one-shot T. rex and constantly being used to KoS (Kill on Sight), and ultimately a lot of players would avoid a Triceratops as soon as they saw one, even if that particular one was docile. Fortunately in the remake it was nerfed and it now has much more even stats.
  • Recently, Triceratops made an appearance in both the BBC Documentary Series, Prehistoric Planet, in both seasons' fifth episodes, "Forests" and "North America", and in the Netflix Original Documentary Series, Life on Our Planet, where one female is hunted and chased by a mother Tyrannosaurus rex and her two offspring, but is defended by her herd.
  • Triceratops appears in Prehistoric Kingdom with skins for both species.
  • Triceratops is mentioned in When Dinosaurs Ruled.
  • Cera from The Land Before Time is a Triceratops. Along with her father Daddy Topps, her step mother Tria and her half sister.
  • Tank and Trudy from Dinosaur Train are Triceratops.
  • Chomp and Maximus from Dinosaur King are both Triceratops.
  • Triceratops appears in The Little Mermaid (TV series).

Gallery[]

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