Triceratops

* Legacy
* Central Sector

> *SUBJECT: Triceratops*
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> *DESCRIPTION: Bulky herbivore, easily spooked.*
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> *NOTES: Lost one researcher to goring, hunters should keep their distance.*
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> - DHC Gametracker Survey
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***Triceratops*** are horned dinosaurs native to the East Central Sector of planet FMM UV-32. They are available for hunting on the Eastern Tour.

## Biology

*Triceratops* are bulky herbivores found throughout the warm regions of FMM UV-32’s eastern continent. These dinosaurs are fairly common throughout their range. This wide distribution is supported by a generalist diet of fibrous roots and tubers, which are dug up with their horns.

These horns are not only used for foraging, however. The large size of *Triceratops* may scare off small predators, but their meat is prized by carnivores and humans alike. As such, their horns are well equipped to pierce through the hides of large predators, such as Tyrannosaurus and Carnotaurus, and can easily gore a human, bursting through the chest and straight out the back.

These dinosaurs are known for their bulkiness, growing 6 to 8 meters long and weighing up to 5 and a half tons. As such, bullets have trouble penetrating their thick hides and armored skulls. DHC instructs hunters to aim for the eyes, throat, and spine. *Triceratops* are also less active at dawn and will sleep at night.

## Gallery

*Triceratops* Menu ImageMenu Image CloseupTarget ZoneCall Icon

## Triceratops

### Creator(s)

Action Forms

    ***Triceratops*** is a large ceratopsian found in the East Central Sector of FMM UV-32. It is one of the Eastern Tour's most sought after dinosaurs by hunters.
## Biology

*Triceratops* are large and bulky herbivores, possessing powerful builds which few predators dare to hunt. These dinosaurs spend most of their time foraging in dense jungles, using their horns to carve a path through dense foliage and to dig up roots in more barren environments. Inhabiting the warm and humid East, *Triceratops* are well adapted to tropical climates, though individuals in zoos have proven they can just as easily be comfortable in more temperate regions.

Adult *Triceratops* have very few predators. The smaller *Allosaurus* and *Velociraptor* tend to avoid hunting these animals due to the sheer size difference, as their thick hide alone is enough to deter smaller carnivores. The main predator of *Triceratops* are *Tyrannosaurus*, which commonly prey upon them. In order to defend itself, *Triceratops* possesses three large horns on the front of its face, which it will use to gore attackers.

The horns of *Triceratops* are not only used on the defensive, but also the offensive. The horns will often see use in intraspecific combat, where two individuals will clash their horns together in a display of strength. This behavior has been observed by individuals competing for territory, and by male individuals fighting during mating season. Female *Triceratops*, as a result, have comparatively smaller horns, though they are still more than enough to defend itself with.

#### Relations with *Chasmosaurus*

Fossil evidence dating as recently as just 11,000 years ago show that *Triceratops* once dominated the Central Sector, while *Chasmosaurus* was a much rarer dinosaur, only inhabiting small regions in the west. For uncertain reasons, overtime *Triceratops* populations died off, now only limited the East Central Sector.

This decreasing population was most apparent in the West Central Sector, where they were rapidly replaced by a growing *Chasmosaurus* population. Overtime, the species entirely died off in the West. In the East, populations were weakened in some cases, but overall seemed to maintain their numbers. Today, Triceratops are most common on archipelagoes and near the coast of the East Central Sector.

It is not fully understood why *Triceratops* populations decreased while *Chasmosaurus* populations increased, but there are some theories for this shift. One is that the more aggressive nature of *Chasmosaurus* was able to outcompete the more benign *Triceratops*, and did this until it could no longer adapt to the warmth of the East.