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History On Triceratops
The triceratops, a bizarre looking beast that closely resembled a rhinoceros was named by paleontologist Othniel Marsh from a fossil found near Denver, Colorado in 1889. He mistakenly presumed this to be of some extinct species of buffalo. John Bell Hatcher however found the first skull the year before. In all, about fifty triceratops skulls have been found so far, mostly in western Canada and western United States. |
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The triceratops is believed to have been one of the last of the dinosaur species to have evolved just before they became extinct about 65 million years ago. They are presumed to have lived toward the fag end of the age of reptiles about 72 to 65 million years ago in the late Cretaceous period.
Triceratops were herbivorous quadrupeds that walked on sturdy feet. The body was bulky with a short stumpy tail and grew to a length of about 30 feet of which 10 feet comprised the head alone, one of the largest in the dinosaur species. They weighed between 6 and 12 tons. The distinctive feature of the triceratops was a bony frill that grew from behind the skull like armor plate. The animal had a parrot-like beak with a short horn growing off the top and two longer horns growing from behind the eyes. These were undoubtedly its defense mechanism with which it charged when attacked, much like a present day rhinoceros. It is still unclear how the triceratops reproduced but they are believed to have hatched from eggs. Because of finds of large numbers of bones in common beds, scientists conclude that the triceratops moved in herds.
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Dinosaur:
How Tall Was Triceratops ?
 The triceratops was a bizarre looking animal, the nearest comparison being with today’s rhinoceros. It had a bulky body and a relatively short tail. The body was supported by four sturdy legs. The animal stood about 10 feet tall and was 30 feet in length of which the head alone was 10 feet, the largest of any dinosaur. It weighed between 6 and 12 tons. More..
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