The triceratops dinosaur also received the name "three-horned head" due to the simplified distribution of the horns on the head. It is a prehistoric herbivorous animal that lived in the Mesozoic era, in the Upper Cretaceous, about 68-65 million years ago. Males had a vertical horn on their nose, and females had their nasal Horn in a horizontal position. On the foreheads both sexes showed two huge horns like sharp spikes, of approx. 90 cm.
This dinosaur was first described in 1889 by American paleontologist Otniel Charles Marsh based on a first fossilized skull discovered in Colorado, Denver. Other fossil remains, around 500 such skulls and skeletons have been found in South Dakota, Montana, Alberta, Canada and Wyoming (USA). The species has been given the scientific name Triceratops horridus.
The length of this impressive animal was estimated to be 9 m and the weight of 6 tons, which made it considered a champion in the horned dinosaur series. Analyzing the skeletons of these animals paleontologists noticed that they show numerous cracks, which proves that they gave terrible fights between themselves, probably both between the males of the herd and with predatory dinosaurs.
The head of a Triceratops was extraordinarily large, reaching a length of 2.5 m and presented in the posterior part an impressive shield that represented almost half its size. The jaws were connected by means of muscles over 1 m long and had a row of 35 piled up, vertical teeth, which if worn out or fell were immediately replaced, growing new ones in place.
The bite was in scissors, the upper teeth passed past the lower ones, so the plants were cut and then swallowed. Its dentition allowed it to eat even harder plants, and its narrow and deep beak provided with sharp edges facilitated the breaking of branches and plucking of leaves, which were then fragmented into teeth.
Consume large quantities of plants that were probably easily digested due to gastric stones (gastroliths) swallowed precisely for this purpose. Researchers suspect that it had, like horses and cattle, fermentation chambers, where bacteria extracted proteins from plant material, which gave it the necessary energy.
Paleontologists have found especially scattered triceratops skeletons and less in groups, so it would seem that this dinosaur lived more solitary and less in the herd, so it could be an important victim of predatory dinosaurs. In the findings it was observed that the female forms that had the nasal Horn in a horizontal position predominated. Also, a number of species and forms have been observed, which after a thorough analysis made by paleontologists have been divided into two different groups: Triceratops horridus and Triceratops prorsus.
The first species had the shield behind the head smaller than the second. It has also been hypothesized that the Shield depends on sex and age and not necessarily on species. The dinosaurs with the larger shield may have been male, and those with the smaller shield may have been female. This capillary ornament had no orifice was used not only for defense but also for thermoregulation. At sunrise the sun's rays were immediately transformed into body heat through this well-vascularized shield. During the heat the animal was cooled by air circulation on the large surface of the shield.
On the sides of the head were placed the eyes which at the level of the orbits had a protective perchance which further diminished the visual acuity. So to observe the surroundings, the dinosaur had to move its head here and there. From the hundreds of skulls discovered, the researchers chose a few that they used to analyze brain prints, obtained by filling the skulls with a kind of foam. These brain prints led them to conclude that in Triceratops neither visual acuity nor olfactory sense were strongly developed.
As a general appearance this dinosaur was robust, it moved slowly on its four strong limbs, it could run at a speed of about 20 km/ h. its Shield on its head did not have holes that would significantly reduce its weight as in other species of dinosaurs. The hind limbs were more robust, had muscular thighs, and the forelimbs were slightly apart especially during movement. Both ended with strong paws, with all fingers facing forward, provided with small hooves. Its tail was thick at the base and thinner towards the tip, quite strong but short.
During the mating season there were fierce fights between males, for the conquest of females and supremacy in the herd. It is suspected that although they fought with their horns they avoided a frontal clash so that they would not break.
One way of attracting females was by the size of the shield and by changing its color in males during mating. When in danger and in the herd, the triceratops dinosaurs positioned themselves in a protective circle, inside stood the Cubs and females and outwards the stronger specimens with larger Shields and horns.
Thus in the face of such a defense system the predatory dinosaurs had not the slightest chance, if they attacked head-on they were very seriously injured by the huge and sharp horns of the giant Triceratops.
Food
The Triceraptops dinosaur lived in forested areas and savannahs, and its food was made up of ground-level plants.
