“The name Triceratops means three-horned face, referring to the one small and two large horns on the skull, which can be seen on the cast on display in the Museum.

Triceratops was 7.3 metres long, and weighed more than 6 tonnes. It was a herbivore, and its jaws were equipped with a constantly replaced battery of teeth specially adapted for cutting up tough plant material. The horn and frill of Triceratops have attracted much speculation, but it is likely that they were used for display and fighting to maintain social dominance, and to defend territory and mates. Functional analysis suggests that Triceratops locked horns in pushing and twisting fights between individuals, the massive frill at the back of the skull acting as a shield to deflect the horns of opponents and protect the vulnerable neck and shoulder muscles.”~http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/learning/htmls/dinosaur.htm

Published 4 years ago

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