Triceratops ( genus name : triceratops ) is a genus of herbivorous dinosaurs of the family " Diplodocus " , fossils found in the Late Cretaceous Late Maastricht formations of North America , about 68 million to 65 million years ago. Triceratops is one of the last dinosaurs to appear and is often used as a representative fossil of the Late Cretaceous Period. There are currently two active species: Triceratops horror and t. prorsus, but other genera have been named. Triceratops is also one of the most famous dinosaurs and a dinosaur that is very popular in popular culture.
Triceratops ( genus name : triceratops ) is a genus of plant-eating dinosaurs of the order Diplodocus in the family " Ceratosaurus " , fossils found in the Late Cretaceous Late Mastrik Formations of North America , about 68 million to 65 million years ago. Triceratops is one of the last dinosaurs to appear and is often used as a representative fossil of the Late Cretaceous Period.
Triceratops was a medium-sized quadruped dinosaur that was 6–10 m long, 2.4–2.8 m tall, and weighed 5–10 tonnes. They have very large head shields, as well as three horns, reminiscent of modern rhinos. Although no complete skeletons of Triceratops have been found, they are still famous for the large number of specimens of some skeletons found from 1887 onwards. For a long time, there has been debate about their three horns and the function of the head shield. Traditionally, these structures have been thought to be weapons used against predators, but recent theories suggest that these structures may have been used for courtship and to demonstrate dominance, such as the horns of modern reindeer, goats, and unicorns.
The most notable features of Triceratops are their horns and neck shields. Their head shields can grow to more than 1.5 meters. Triceratops had a horn above the nostrils of its nostrils, and a pair of horns above the eyes, more than 80 centimeters. Behind the skull is a relatively short bony head shield.
Triceratops had short limbs , five short toes on the forefoot and four short toes on the hind paw. Although Triceratops was determined to be tetrapods, their posture has long been debated. The forelimbs of Triceratops were initially thought to extend from the chest to the sides to help bear the weight of the head. This way of standing can be seen in the paintings of Charles R. Knight and Rudolph F. Zallinger. However, fossilized footprint evidence of diplodonts, as well as today's skeleton reconstructions, show that Triceratops kept an upright posture while walking normally, but with slightly bent elbows, in the middle of both fully upright and fully extended (modern rhinoceros). However, this conclusion does not rule out that Triceratops will adopt a stretching posture when resisting or eating.
This article was edited by headline encyclopedia users Jiayi Tiantian, Niceeeeeday, Guardian of the Heart, User 7118191913284.