Produced by the Population Genetics and Evolution class, Furman University

The Cretaceous: Triceratops
Triceratops, which literally means “three-horned face”, was one of the most numerous of the horned dinosaurs (Dinosaur Corporation 1997). It was first discovered by John Bell Hatcher in Colorado in 1888, and was originally identified as a buffalo. However, there is still some disagreement concerning the fossils of Triceratops; some specialists believe that there was only one species, but others argue that there were at least two different species (The Big Zoo 2010). One of the most distinctive features of Triceratops is the three horns on the top of their head. They had one short horn above their beak, and 2 longer ones on their brow. It is thought that these horns were probably used for protection, and they may have even been used in mating rituals (Col 2009). These horns, along with their thick, rough skin, served to protect them from their main predator, Tyrannosaurus rex. Unlike their predators though, Triceratops were herbivores. While their beak did not contain any teeth, they had cheek teeth and powerful jaws that were used for chewing the plant material. Another characteristic of these creatures is that they had very large heads, which were about 1/3 of their body size (Dinosaur Corporation 1997). They also had a short, pointy tail and a bulky body (The Big Zoo 2010). They walked on four short legs and were about 25 feet long, weighing about 2 tons (Dinosaur Corporation 1997).

Page by Lindsay Gerzel
Triceratops prorsus. Picture From: Dinosaur Timeline Gallery.

Col J. 2009. Triceratops horridus: “horrible three-horned face”. Accessed April 5, 2010.

Dinosaur Corporation. 1997. Triceratops prorsus. Accessed April 5, 2010.

The Big Zoo. 2010. Triceratops: Triceratops horridus. Accessed April 5, 2010.