Triceratops Skull
Triceratops horridus
Cretaceous
Hell Creek Formation, North Dakota
Triceratops is unquestionably one of the most popular dinosaurs known. It lived at the end of the Cretaceous, 65 million years ago, in vast herds that were thought to have fed near the shorelines of the intracontinental seaway, which isolated the western half of North America from the rest of the continent. Triceratops' famous three horns and large bony frill, besides giving this creature lasting celebrity, may have served several purposes. Undoubtedly helpful in protecting the animal from predatory Cretaceous contemporaries, such as T. rex, its horns may also have been used by this herbivore for uprooting giant prehistoric trees, and its frill for extra protection as the trees fell. Its powerful jaws and very coarse teeth could then vertically slice, and powerfully pulverize, entire trees. The present skull specimen, beautifully preserved, exemplifies the famous behemoth from the Age of Dinosaurs.