Torosaurus

Credit: Cisiopurple on DeviantArt.

*Torosaurus* is an extinct genus of ceratopsid dinosaur that lived in the United States during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

This species have spread far throughout the Northern America, whereas fossils have recovered from many places within western-side Northern America, such as Saskatchewan and Texas. The species represented shows a truly large animal; for example this animals skull represents the largest skulls on terrestrial animals.

There are officially two species of *Torosaurus*; whereas the rest of the species are no longer considered valid. Additionally there are some paleontologist that deem *Torosaurus* to be synonymous with *Triceratops*. However; currently, two species of *Torosaurus* considered valid, but one is doubted.

The *Torosaurus* anatomy; also, bears some noticeable differentiation compared to *Triceratops*; specifically the animal's 'frill' and nose. This situation represents some similarity with the Titanoceratops and other local ceratopsians. One major differentiation on the hand of *Torosaurus* is, that this dinosaur actually does lack the enlarged horn on its nose cavity; it only has a smaller 'rump' horn on its nose area. The genus name translates as ' the perforated lizard ' in reference to its enlarged frill.

In 2002, a juvenile *Torosaurus* frill was described from Canada, fully proving that it is valid.

### Behavior

Known specimens and instances of *Torosaurus* represent a truly large and remarkable herbivorous dinosaur that grazed through the landscape of the late cretaceous northern america. The *Torosaurus* was a member of the ceratopsian family of dinosaurs. It is unclear that if species were more dominant herbivores similar to modern bisons and buffaloes or they were on the lower tier of the food chain.

## References

* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3290593/ [study that differentiates Torosaurus from Triceratops]
* https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0016196
* https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0081608 [study that concludes Torosaurus as a distinct taxon]
* https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325130310\_ATTRIBUTES\_OF\_THE\_CERATOPSIAN\_DINOSAUR\_TOROSAURUS\_AND\_NEW\_MATERIAL\_FROM\_THE\_JAVELINA\_FORMATION\_MAASTRICHTIAN\_OF\_TEXAS
* https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280235688\_The\_Ceratopsian\_dinosaur\_Torosaurus\_from\_the\_Upper\_Cretaceous\_McRae\_Formation\_Sierra\_County\_New\_Mexico
* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2929175/
* https://books.google.com.tr/books?id=OWpQW\_WhPAsC&pg=PA177&lpg=PA177&dq=Torosaurus&source=bl&ots=sJz0AvdZ25&sig=ACfU3U0U3e\_OVDE8Ljt06SMUG0ZyRICFjw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjgiN2rscD1AhU8SPEDHckMDYIQ6AF6BAgDEAM#v=onepage&q=Torosaurus&f=false
* https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-torosaurus-identity-crisis-continues-111952707/
* https://www.britannica.com/animal/Torosaurus
* https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/dino-directory/torosaurus.html
* https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-17192624
* https://news.yale.edu/2012/02/29/torosaurus-not-triceratops-yale-researchers-say
* https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/advance-article/doi/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab120/6540273?login=false#.Yh5Tx3f8XyY.twitter