Protoceratops
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Protoceratops is a relatively small and basal Ceratopsian. First discovered in the 1920s, Protcoeratops is now known from a myriad of well-preserved specimens spanning all age groups, from eggs to mature adults. This gives us an excellent view into its growth, life history, and social life. Protoceratops is only about the size of a sheep. It has a large neck frill, like more derived ceratopsians, but lacks the giant horns of ceratopsids. It has sizable cheek horns, though. Its large beak can deliver a powerful bite, and the back of the mouth is filled with dozens of shearing teeth. Its tail has unusually raised neural spines. Protoceratops babies start out small and nestbound, but could soon move out on their own. Bone beds show that they live in age-segregated clusters. The frills and cheek horns differ between individuals of differnet ages and sexes. We have a group of Protoceratops in the Mongolia of the Cretaceous exhibit. They are always furious, as pictured above. |
Scientific name Location Time Length Weight Diet |