Triceratops

Triceratops was a ceratopsian dinosaur living in Late Cretaceous North America. Its name refers to a three-horned face, taken from the long horns above the eyes and the horn above the nose. It is found in strata of a similar time and region to Tyrannosaurus, so they frequently appear together in studies of the same ecosystem. However, fossils from the same strata cannot by themselves reconstruct a particular single confrontation. Comparing skulls from different specimens also allows study of growth and species distinctions.

Features include a broad bony frill behind a large head, horns, beak-like front jaws and teeth for processing plants. Four legs supported the heavy body, and the frill was part of the skull, rather than a separate ornament worn around the neck. Distinguish the preserved bony horn cores from the outer covering present in life. In skull photographs, observing the starting positions of brow horns, the nasal horn and the frill margin together helps comparisons with other ceratopsians. Horn count alone should not make every ceratopsian the same species.

Beak, teeth and jaw structures support an interpretation of herbivory, cutting and processing plants. Several possible functions of horns and frills are discussed, including defense, signals and contact within the species. Bone damage and healing traces help behavioral research, but not every wound arose in a fight with a predator. Descriptions of always living in family herds or invariably having an aggressive temperament require separate evidence. The key is to distinguish descriptions of body structure from inferences about how that structure was used.

Studying the preservation of discovered bones alongside surrounding sediments helps investigate the terrestrial environment and processes of fossil accumulation. Museum skeletons may be completed using several specimens or replicas, so check specimen information on labels. The Triceratops appearance shown on this page is also fossil material or reconstruction, rather than photographic records of a living animal. Body colors, skin around the eyes and distances between individuals in reconstructions are not all established by bones. Observe by comparing actual skull evidence with interpretation in images.