Triceratops The Three-Horned Dinosaur

Triceratops: The Three-Horned Dinosaur Who were they?

Triceratops, meaning a three-horned face, was a dinosaur genus belonging to the Cretaceous Period about 3 million years ago. The dinosaur was identified by the frill bone structure on the back of its skull and the three horns. Triceratops was one of the few non-avian genera of dinosaurs in the later stages, probably the reason for the high demand for Triceratops tooth for sale.

Where did they belong?

Fossils from the Cretaceous Period, especially those belonging to Triceratops, were found in the western North American region. This discovery also led to recognizing several species out of which only two- T. horridus and T. prorsus- could find validity.

Were they big?

Well, Triceratops have been known for their massive size and most often find a comparison to the African elephants. Dinosaurs that could grow up to the length of 30 feet, the Triceratops weighed over more than 5000 kg. Intrigued? Why not complete your prized collection by buying a Triceratops tooth for sale!

Physical Development: If studies are to be believed, the skull of Triceratops went through several alterations during its development stages. When small, Triceratops skulls had straight horns, small in size and placed above the eyes. As they grew, the straight horns transformed into backward-curved ones. Further, the horns curved towards the front during the adult age.

As for the frills bones, they were not present in the earlier stage. However, the frills started showing up at a young age, with triangle-shaped epoccipitals along with their large frills. As they matured, these epoccipitals became more flattened.

Triceratops and Other Dinosaurs: It is believed that the Triceratops had another large-horned companion during its existence, the Torosaurus. A distinct feature that helped differentiate between the two groups was the frills. While Triceratops had flattened frills, those of the Torosaurus were large, thin, and consisted of two openings.

On a similar front, researchers also studied fossils of Nedoceratops, a ceratopsid known to exhibit smaller openings in the frills. This discovery led to the idea that the Nedoceratops could indeed be the intermediate species between Torosaurus and Triceratops, the Toro being the more mature between the three.

The discovery went on to produce several conclusions, one of which was regarding cranial morphology. While quite unusual, this morphology was evidence of the representation of a unique genus of horned- dinosaurs.

While several other groups were falling within this genus, the Triceratops was the most famous and remains so. Are you still looking for Triceratops tooth for sale? We reckon you lay your hands to it sooner!