Protoceratops | Facts & Information

# Protoceratops | Facts & Information

Protoceratops | Discover Fascinating Facts and Information About Protoceratops

This prehistoric animal lived in the Mesozoic era, in the Upper Cretaceous, 85-71 million years ago. The researchers estimated its length to be about 2 m, height 0.7 m and Weight 180 kg. It had a large head, wider in the area of the cheeks and narrow towards the tip of the snout, ending with a sharp and powerful beak.

Read More on Protoceratops
Protoceratops

Protoceratops

890

Animals

36

Species

8

Languages

32

Facts

Protoceratops was a herbivorous dinosaur that lived in forested areas in the territory occupied today by Mongolia. Its fossil remains were discovered in 1920 in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and were described in 1923 by paleontologists W. K. Gregory and Walter W. Granger. The species has been scientifically named Protoceratops andrewsi.

The beak was horny, had the upper part larger than the lower and was provided with teeth. The dinosaur used its tongue to bring bundles of plants near its beak, then plucked and cut them with it, shredded them with sharp teeth and swallowed them.

The Protoceratops had a capillary ornament represented by a thick shield positioned in the nape area. It had a rounded shape on the edges and was provided with holes covered by resistant leather so that the weight of the shield was not large.

The researchers hypothesized that this shield was at the insertion site of the muscles in the area of the nape and jaws. Probably this capillary ornament protected the neck from attack by predatory dinosaurs.

The forelimbs were shorter than the hind ones, but they were all robust and muscular, able to hold the entire body weight of this dinosaur. The front paws were wide, finished with five fingers each, and the rear had four fingers each – all provided with blunt hooves.

The tail was long, thick at the base and thin towards the tip, it had a role in supporting the balance of the body. The gait of this dinosaur was on all four legs. It also found that the size of the shields and skulls found in several fossil skeletons were variable – showing the difference in sex and age. Of course the male had the larger shield and heavier body than the female.

During the mating period between males were given fights for gaining supremacy in the herd and impressing the females. Rivals would hit each other and hit each other with shields until the weakest gave up.

They often demonstrated their strength by exposing their capillary adornment, but avoided as much as possible destroying these shields during battle. They were especially striking with the nasal protrusion-which was shaped like a horn and was a characteristic element of them and did not appear in females.

The researchers found Protoceratops nests that also contained 30 fossilized eggs, showing that these animals lived in groups and females laid eggs in shared nests. Each female removes a small number of eggs through an orifice called the cloaca, which also serves as an excretory and genital organ.

When examined under a microscope, the shells of these eggs had small calcite cones with tips pointing inward. The different appearance of the cones shows that several types of eggs were laid in the Nest (which belonged to several females) and had channels and pores through which oxygen reached the embryo. Interesting was the way of laying eggs and their elongated shape. The eggs were placed in a spiral shape on three rows.

If any predatory dinosaur wanted to rob the nest, the females would coalesce with each other, become very aggressive towards it, hit each with its powerful beak and long tail like a whip. Usually these fights ended with the death of the predator but also with the destruction of a few eggs.

These nests were a temptation for predatory dinosaurs, especially those of small size, such as Oviraptors and Velociraptors – which is evidenced by the fact that the fossilized skeletons of a Velociraptor and a Protoceratops were found that bit each other during battle and both died.

#Photo Gallery of Protoceratops

More Protoceratops images!

Uncover fascinating facts about Protoceratops - from its behavior to habitat and diet. Explore our comprehensive guide to learn more!

Protoceratops | Facts & InformationProtoceratops | Discover Fascinating Facts and Information About Protoceratops