Prehistoric life
Together with the bony frill behind its extraordinarily large head, the three distinctive horns of the Triceratops were traditionally viewed as defensive weapons for this mighty herbivore. However, it is likely that they were used in courtship and dominance displays, much as modern deer use their antlers. One of the last groups of dinosaur to evolve, Triceratops would have shared the landscape with, and been preyed upon by, the awesome Tyrannosaurus. There is little evidence that they ever had the spectacular battles so often depicted, however. No complete Triceratops skeleton has yet been found and what was thought to be another horned dinosaur, Torosaurus, has recently been identified as the fully mature form of Triceratops.
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Crash test dinosaurs
Dinosaur dummies show the force of a Triceratops charge as it hits a mighty T-rex.
Dinosaur dummies show the force of a Triceratops charge as it hits a mighty T-rex.
Triceratops attack
Fossil blemishes show how Triceratops flicked its horny head to gore opponents.
Horned dinosaur expert Andrew Farke has a theory that Triceratops used its horns to gore, not to charge.
Dinosaur vision
Laser technology give clues to how T-rex and Triceratops would have seen the world.
Kent Stevens uses lasers to study animal vision and finds out how well T-rex and Triceratops could see.
T-rex the predator
Fossil forensics prove that T-rex attacked, rather than scavenged, Triceratops.
John Happ has studied Triceratops bones and found evidence of predatory attacks by Tyrannosaurus rex.
Dino whodunnit
Fossil forensics prove T-rex was the culprit that chomped chunks from a Triceratops.
Dr Greg Erikson studies bite marks on the pelvis of a Triceratops. He deduces that they were made by Tyrannosaurus rex. But did it kill it or scavenge?
A comparison of Triceratops's size in relation to humans.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Discover the other animals and plants that lived during the following geological time periods.
Cretaceous period
Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinctionNephrozoa
Triceratops ( /traɪˈsɛrətɒps/ try-SERR-ə-tops) is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago (Mya) in what is now North America. It was one of the last non-avian dinosaur genera to appear before the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. The term Triceratops, which literally means "three-horned face", is derived from the Greek τρί- (tri-) meaning "three", κέρας (kéras) meaning "horn", and ὤψ (ops) meaning "face".
Bearing a large bony frill and three horns on its large four-legged body, and conjuring similarities with the modern rhinoceros, Triceratops is one of the most recognizable of all dinosaurs and the best known ceratopsid. It shared the landscape with and was preyed upon by the fearsome Tyrannosaurus, though it is less certain that the two did battle in the manner often depicted in traditional museum displays and popular images.
The exact placement of the Triceratops genus within the ceratopsid group has been debated by paleontologists. Two species, T. horridus and T. prorsus, are considered valid although many other species have been named. Recent research suggests that the contemporaneous Torosaurus, a ceratopsid long regarded as a separate genus, actually represents Triceratops in its mature form, though this is disputed.
Triceratops has been documented by numerous remains collected since the genus was first described in 1889, including at least one complete individual skeleton. Paleontologist John Scannella observed: "It is hard to walk out into the Hell Creek Formation and not stumble upon a Triceratops weathering out of a hillside." Forty-seven complete or partial skulls were discovered in just that area during the decade 2000–2010. Specimens representing life stages from hatchling to adult have been found.
The function of the frills and three distinctive facial horns has long inspired debate. Traditionally these have been viewed as defensive weapons against predators. More recent theories, noting the presence of blood vessels in the skull bones of ceratopsids, find it more probable that these features were primarily used in identification, courtship and dominance displays, much like the antlers and horns of modern reindeer, mountain goats, or rhinoceros beetles. The theory finds additional support if Torosaurus represents the mature form of Triceratops, as this would mean the frill also developed holes (fenestrae) as individuals reached maturity, rendering the structure more useful for display than defense.
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Predation defence
Courtship display
Herbivorous
Egg layer