How It Works-Book Of Dinosaurs

Triceratops anatomy

We examine the skeleton of this powerful

plant-eater to see its basic anatomy

Pelvis

Triceratops had a gently arched back

leading down towards a strong pelvic

structure, both factors that generated

more power when charging

Brow horns

Considerably larger

than the nose horn,

the brow horns

commonly stretched

out beyond the

animal’s snout and

were sharp-tipped

Beak

A tough, horny,

toothless beak at

the front of the

Triceratops’ snout

aided in foraging

activities

Front legs

Both validated species

of Triceratops have

extremely sturdy

front legs to ensure

support for its heavy

head and chest cavity

Jaw

The Triceratops’ teeth

were arranged in groups

of 36-40 columns in

each side of the jaw, with

three to fi ve stacked

teeth per column

© Eva Krocher

Nose horn

With both species

of Triceratops, the

nose horn is very

short and squat,

elevated from the

upper jaw on a

bone arch

Skull

Over 50 complete

Triceratops skulls have

been found today,

each confi rming that

they were incredibly

heavy and solid

Neck

The head of the

Triceratops was

joined at the neck

by a ball-and-

socket joint

located behind

the large frill

Chest cavity

The chest cavity was

massive, holding the

animal’s vital organs at

the front and upper

stomach to the rear

8-9m (26-30ft)

1.8m

(6ft)

© Marmelad

Triceratops

Length: 8m (26ft)

Height: 2.9m (9.5ft)

Weight: 6,350kg (14,000lb)

Diet: Herbivore

Discovered: Colorado, USA

The statistics...

© SPL

The f undamental diet of the Triceratops was

largely dictated by – and most likely co-evolved

w ith – its low-slung posture and head position,

which was located close to the ground. A s a

consequence of these factors, as well as its deep

and narrow beak and sharp teeth batteries, both

species of Triceratops most likely consumed large

amounts of low-grow th ferns, palms and c ycads,

plucking the plants w ith their beaks and then

shredding the fi brous material with their teeth.

The Triceratops’ main potential predators were

carnivorous theropod dinosaurs such as the

Ty rannosaurus rex. However, while modern-day

depictions of these t wo prehistoric titans are often

far-fetched, Triceratops specimens have been

discovered w ith T-rex bite marks and even one

where the herbivore had had one of its brow

horns snapped off entirely.

DID YOU KNOW? (^) The first recorded Triceratops remains discovered in the modern era were unearthed in 1887