Triceratops

## General

* Alt
* JP Institute

*Triceratops* was a very common dinosaur which lived at the very end of the Cretaceous period. It had a huge frilled head with horns over each eye that could reach over 3 feet long. Triceratops had a third, smaller horn on its nose. These would be fearsome weapons against a predator.

Triceratops is one of the most common dinosaur fossils found. More than 50 skulls have been found. Within the genus, at least 7 species have been identified. The ceratopsian family is one of the most successful and varied of the Late Cretaceous. Triceratops is the largest member of this family, reaching the size of a school bus.[1]

Triceratops was a herd animal; it is believed that large groups numbering into the hundreds roamed North America. Their large, horny beaks and long rows of teeth were well designed for chewing the tough, low-growing plants of the Late Cretaceous. It was likely the main predator of these animals was Tyrannosaurus rex. A number of skeletons show bite and chew marks that match the teeth of T. rex. Horns and frills seemed to vary among individuals within the species. Some frills were very broad, others narrow. The nasal horn shows the most variance among individual specimens, no two being the same. The material that covered its horns in life would have added significantly to the length of the fossilized bone.

In 2009 researchers under supervision of Jack Horner argued that Triceratops was actually a juvenile version of Torosaurus. The massive frill of Triceratops would grow longer and thinner in time, until it may have had the same holes as seen in Torosaurus (see Triceratops#Torosaurus as growth stage of Triceratops). However, this evidence is still open to criticism and is still yet to be fully accepted by the scientific community.

## Paleontological Info

*Triceratops'* name means ***Three Horn Face***, for the genus having three horns; two large ones on top of the eyes, and one short horn on the top of the nose. There are two valid species of *Triceratops*; ***T. prorsus***, and ***T. horridus***. The two can be differentiated by *T. prorsus* having large eye brow horns that curve forward, and *T. horridus* having straighter horns and a more shallow snout. *Triceratops* lived throughout the western North America, most famously in the Hell Creek Formation, where it lived alongside *Tyrannosaurus rex*, *Edmontosaurus annectens*, *Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis*, *Stygimoloch spinifer**, Troodon,* and Ankylosaurus.

## Description

*Triceratops* are among the most iconic dinosaurs, with brow horns similar to *T. horridus* and a nasal horn similar to *T. prosus*. They have large frills with spikes on along the edges. Color patterns include brown, grey and green. Brown and green variations have stripes, with brown having beige and green occasionally having white. The young are brown, with less developed frills and horns.

## Behavior

*Triceratops* are fairly calm animals, not attacking unless provoked. They are quite aggressive when provoked, especially when the young are threatened. They are very social, living in moderately sized herds alongside other herbivores.

## History

### Jurassic Park

Thirteen *Triceratops* were recreated for Jurassic Park by Ingen, with the first successfully recreated in 1986. Three Triceratops were were transported to Isla Nublar to serve as an attraction for InGen's Jurassic Park. Three were transported to Isla Nublar where they lived in the *Triceratop* Paddock. They commonly grew ill which caused much confusion throughout the veterinary staff.

### 1993 Incident

One sick *Triceratops* was encountered by Jurassic Park's Endorsement team. Ellie Sattler helped look for the cause of the illness, which later turned out to be caused by West Indian Lylac which they had swallowed alongside gastroliths. This individual died after the incident and was scavenged by the *Tyrannosaurus*.

### 1997 Isla Sorna Incident

The ten *Triceratops* on Isla Sorna were released after Hurricane Clarissa forced Ingen to abandoned the island. An adult and juvenile of the species were captured when came back to the island during the 1997 Incident, but both were released by Hammond's Gatherers and the adult managed to destroy much of the teams equipment.

### Jurassic World

The *Triceratops* populations of Isla Sorna were later moved to Isla Nublar for Jurassic World after the collapse of it's ecosystem. The species was later used in multiple attractions, including Gyrosphere Valley, *Triceratops* Territory, and the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo. These populations were later freed when the *Indominus rex* broke out and caused the 2015 Incident which forced the park to close.

### Post Jurassic World

*Triceratops* populations had remained consistent throughout the three year time span Isla Nublar was abandoned, but were later threatened when Mount Sibo threatened to erupt. The rescue mission managed to save multiple individuals, including a mother and juvenile. It is unknown if any were sold, but the remaining animals including the mother and juvenile were released into the wilds of California after Masie Lockwood saved them from dying from Hydrogen Cyanide.

## Appearances

### Films

* ***Jurassic Park (1993)***
* ***The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)***
* ***Jurassic Park III (2001)***
* ***Jurassic World (2015)***
* ***Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)***
* ***Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)***

### Games

* ***Jurassic Park: The Game (2011)***
* ***Jurassic Park: Trespasser (1998)***
* ***Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis (2003)***
* ***Jurassic Park: Builder (2013)***
* ***Jurassic World: The Game (2015)***
* ***Jurassic World Alive (2018)***
* ***Jurassic World: Blue (2018)***
* ***Jurassic World Evolution (2018)***
* ***Jurassic World: Facts (2018)***
* ***Jurassic World: Aftermath (2020)***
* ***Jurassic World Evolution 2 (2021)***

### Merchandise

* ***Jurassic Park Brochure***
* ***Jurassic World Website***
* ***Jurassic World Holoscape***
* ***Dinosaur Protection Group Isla Nublar Dinosaur List***

## Inaccuracies

* The clones have jugal horns on their cheeks instead of one cheek horn on one side in real life.
* The clones have elephant like feet instead of pronounced claws on the innermost three of its five toes in real life.

## Status

### Endangered

The last few remaining specimens can be found in the forests of Northern California.

Artwork by DPG