I Know Dino: Triceratops

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Episode 30 is all about Triceratops, a ceratopsian with three horns on its face.

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On this episode, we talk about:

The dinosaur of the day: Triceratops, a dinosaur that appeared in Jurassic World, whose identify means “Three-Horn Face”
Have talked about Triceratops earlier than, about Triceratops v Torosaurus (Episode 21, with paleo-artist Josh Cotton)

Two species varieties: Triceratops horridus and Triceratops prorsus
Charles Marsh named Triceratops in 1889

Quadrupedal (walked on 4 legs), herbivore, giant cranium (a few third of the size of its physique)

Grouped as a chasmosaurine due to the forehead horns (a subfamily of ceratopsid)

Lived in Cretaceous; one of many final dinosaurs to go extinct
Present in USA,‭ ‬Colorado,‭ ‬Montana,‭ ‬South Dakota,‭ ‬Wyoming.‭ ‬Canada,‭ ‬Alberta,‭ ‬Saskatchewan

About 30 toes (9 m) and weighed over 11,000 kilos (5,000 kg), although some weighed 15,750 kilos
Cranium had a brief neck frill, and three horns
Two largest horns above the eyes, as much as 1 m lengthy, and a smaller nostril horn on the snout

Dominant herbivore in North America in late Cretaceous (plenty of Triceratops stays)
Triceratops is likely one of the hottest dinosaurs (however plenty of misconceptions and controversy)

Within the 1900s quite a lot of Triceratops fossils have been discovered, although the skulls various so much. Consequently, quite a lot of Triceratops species have been named. However in 1986 paleontologists Ostrom and Wellnhofer wrote that solely the kind species, Triceratops horridus, was actual (variation in skulls have been a mixture of particular person variation and fossils being distorted over time)

Triceratops horridus means “tough”, for the tough texture of bones

16 Triceratops species proposed since Triceratops was found, however solely 2 are broadly thought-about legitimate. Triceratops horridus most likely developed into Triceratops prorsus over 1-2 million years, in accordance with a 2014 research within the Proceedings of the Nationwide Academy of Sciences journal (research examined fossils from the Hell Creek Formation, with decrease, center and higher geological subdivisions (center subdivision fossils had a combo of options discovered within the decrease and higher subdivisions)
Catherine Forster wrote in a later research a few distinction between Triceratops horridus, Triceratops prorsus, and Triceratops hatcheri (named as a brand new genus, Nedoceratops hatcheri); they have been discovered in numerous ranges of strata, which suggests they have been energetic at completely different instances

Doubtful species: T.‭ ‬albertensis,‭ ‬T.‭ ‬alticornis,‭ ‬T.‭ ‬eurycephalus,‭ ‬T.‭ ‬galeus,‭ ‬T.‭ ‬hatcheri,‭ ‬T.‭ ‬ingens,‭ ‬T.‭ ‬maximus,‭ ‬T.‭ ‬sulcatus.
Debate over Triceratops v. Torosaurus
John Scanella theorized in 2009 that Triceratops was the identical as Torosaurus (co-authored by Jack Horner). They mentioned they lived on the identical time, and fossils have been present in the identical locations, and that Triceratops was a juvenile model of Torosaurus. They mentioned that Triceratops had a brief frill, and Torosaurus had an extended frill with holes to cut back the burden. Additionally mentioned that Nedoceratops was a development stage in between Triceratops and Torosaurus. Proof to help the idea is that some ceratopsians juvenile and grownup specimens have juveniles with quick frills and adults with longer frills.

Principle was very controversial
In 2011 Andrew Farke mentioned Nedoceratops was in its personal genus, and there was an excessive amount of change required for a Triceratops cranium to vary to a Torosaurus cranium

In 2012 Daniel Discipline and Nicholas Longrich, from Yale College studied 35 specimens and mentioned there have been skulls of juvenile Torosaurus and grownup Triceratops. Additionally in some areas solely Triceratops or solely Torosaurus was discovered.

Scanella responded that a few of the fossils Discipline and Longrich studied may very well be transitional

Both method, Torosaurus was named in 1891, and Triceratops in 1889, which suggests Triceratops will hold its identify, it doesn’t matter what
Triceratops fossil was present in Wyoming within the Eighties and shipped to the Smithsonian museum in D.C. (on show since 1905; first mounted Triceratops on the planet. Unique show had “skeletal parts from over a dozen completely different particular person Triceratops, a few of which weren’t the identical dimension and gave us bones that have been too small for the skeleton” in accordance with the web site, and had “a number of sculpted parts that technicians made by hand, and the foot bones of a distinct dinosaur, a duckbill dinosaur, to interchange lacking Triceratops bones.” Unveiled a brand new mount in 2001 that was extra correct (nicknamed “Hatcher”)

Scientists used to assume Triceratops walked with its two entrance legs sprawled out, to help its weight. However these days scientists assume that Triceratops walked upright, with elbows bowed out to the edges (like a rhino)
Had hoof-like claws; thick, bumpy cover; giant brows
2006 research in journal Proceedings of the Roayl Society discovered that Triceratops forehead horns twisted and lengthened with age (began off stubby, then curved backward, then pointed in the wrong way)

Scientists have found a Triceratops pores and skin impression, which has bristle-like fibers (across the tail)
Triceratops toes on the entrance two toes pointed to the edges, and never forwards (like stegosaurs, ankylosaurs and sauropods). That is thought-about to be a primitive trait, and it reveals that ceratopsian’s direct ancestors have been bipedal (used palms for greedy and help, as a substitute of supporting weight)

Could have charged at predators, like a rhino

Giant sufficient that solely giant predators may assault (Tyrannosaurus and Albertosaurus)

Many Triceratops bones have been broken by preventing with predators
Proof that Triceratops and T-rex fought. One Triceratops had healed T-rex tooth marks on forehead horn, bitten horn was damaged and had new bone development after the break (Triceratops could have had the benefit within the battle due to sharp horns)

The frill protected its neck from T-rex and different predators
Horns and frill could have been defensive weapons, although not all scientists agree that this was the only or predominant cause for them (ceratopsians as a gaggle have very completely different wanting frills and horns, and the argument is they might have developed to grow to be the identical, and be simplest)
Horns and frill could have been used for show (establish its personal species); frills even have been discovered with blood vessel impressions to “produce vivid coloration shows”

Giant frill could have regulated physique temperature (presumably)
Some Triceratops have been discovered with holes within the frills, presumably brought on by fight amongst Triceratops

A brand new chasmosaurine referred to as Regaliceratops peterhewsi was found and printed about in Present Biology on June 15. New dinosaur had a crown of plates round its head and have options it independently developed (convergent evolution), which can present comparable behaviors in different chasmosaurines, like preventing kinds (fashionable mammals with comparable formed horns act equally with horn locking or head butting)

Usually considered a herding animal, however no definitive proof for this. Many Triceratops fossils discovered as people

Different horned dinosaurs identified to stay in herds (discovered bonebeds with 2 to a whole bunch or 1000’s of people)
Triceratops wanted quite a lot of meals to outlive, which might be exhausting to eat as a big herd

Nonetheless, Triceratops could have lived in small teams (one male and a number of females); males could have fought one another for dominance (concept primarily based on fashionable animals)
Three juvenile Triceratops present in southeastern Montana; in 2012 one other group of three Triceratops discovered (small juvenile and grownup) in Wyoming–could have been a household, additionally indicators of a T-rex scavenging, puncture wounds from enamel within the largest Triceratops‘ entrance limbs
Unclear how Triceratops raised its younger

Ate low rising vegetation, however could have taken down bigger crops to get to meals it couldn’t attain with simply its enamel
Had a parrot-like beak, and battery of enamel (many molars and pre-molars stacked tightly collectively and used for grinding leaves) at again of the mouth (regularly changed enamel)

A brand new research within the journal Science Advances discovered that Triceratops had enamel that might slice by means of dense materials (extra various weight loss plan than fashionable reptiles). Professor Erickson and colleagues studied Triceratops enamel from museums round North America. They discovered Triceratops enamel had 5 layers of tissue (in comparison with horse and bison, which have 4 layers, and crocodiles which have 2)

In all probability couldn’t transfer too quick, and spent plenty of time grazing (like a rhino)

Simple to search out Triceratops fossils (47 skulls present in Hell Creek between 2000-2010)
In 1889, a rancher in Wyoming discovered a wierd cranium on his property and tried to lasso its horns to haul it off (the horn snapped off)

Triceratops fossils are in excessive demand. In 1997, a median cranium price $2500. In 2008 somebody bought a Triceratops for $1 million and donated it to the Boston Museum of Science
Triceratops is the offical state fossil of South Dakota and can also be Wyoming’s state dinosaur
Ancestors could have been Zuniceratops (earliest identified ceratopsian with forehead horns) and Yinlong, first identified ceratopsian from Jurassic period

Pentaceratops aquilonius can also be an ancestor (from episode 15)
Ceratopsians have been ornithiscians

Lived in North America and Asia

They’d beaks and cheek enamel to eat fiberous vegetation

Additionally had a frill (used for protection, regulating physique temperature, attracting mates, or signaling hazard)
In all probability traveled in herds and will then stampede if threatened

Chasmosaurinae is a subfamily of ceratopsid
Chasmosaurinae had giant forehead horns and lengthy frills (in comparison with centrosaurines, one other subfamily of ceratopsid, which had quick forehead horns and shorter frills with lengthy spines popping out of the frills)
Chasmosaurine fossils have been present in western Canada, the western United States, and northern Mexico.

Enjoyable Reality: Dinosaurs had two ovaries (laid 2 eggs), however birds developed to have just one ovary, to assist with flight.

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