The crests appear to be like giant shields protecting the neck and flanks of the animal, and for many years people have assumed that defence was indeed their function. But that idea is now discredited, especially in the light of studies done by palaeontologists Peter Dodson and Scott Samson. The holes would have been covered with skin giving the appearance of a solid crest, but the fact is that they would not have been strong enough to offer any defence at all. If an elk is attacked by a wolf it does not defend itself with its antlers - it will probably use its feet. The antlers only come into effect against other males in the rutting season.
Palaeontologists think it was the same for ceratopsian crests.
The size of the crest would have the most important factor - males would probably have looked at their rivals crests to size each other up and if they felt they were equally matched then they could have locked horns to establish who was the stronger. The skin on the crests would have been supplied with blood vessels and so the crests might have flushed red to make an even more intimidating display. The other feature of the Torosaurus in this programme is that they exist in a herd. Hundreds or even thousands of individuals have been buried in the rock together, showing that very large herds was the norm for ceratopsians like Torosaurus . Like the ' Torosaurus ' this animal is shown travelling in a herd.