Triceratops/Segments

## TriceratopsThree-horned Face

* Freshwater II
* Forests II
* Season II Opening
* Swamps V
* North America IV

## Presence

* Freshwater (Segment 2)
	+ 1 adult (deceased)
* Forests (Segment 2)
	+ Several adults
	+ 1+ juvenile
* Swamps (Segment 5)
	+ 13+ adults
	+ 3+ juveniles
* North America (Segment 4)
	+ Several adults
	+ 2+ juveniles
* Why Did Triceratops Have A Frill?
	+ Stock footage from North America

 Main **Segments** Gallery

MainSegmentsGallery

These are Prehistoric Planet segments which feature ***Triceratops***.

The skull of a *Triceratops*, with the skulls of a *Quetzalcoatlus*, *Mosasaurus, Barbaridactylus*, and a smaller *Triceratops* skull in the background, appears in the opening of every episode of Prehistoric Planet's second season.

## Freshwater

**Freshwater**, Segment II
**Setting**
Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA
***“ T. rex are built for hunting large herbivores, and many of those have evolved heavy defensive weapons. Decades of battling armored prey has scarred his body. One battle even cost him the tip of his tail. These new injuries are more serious. At his great age, infection is a real risk. River water could help to clean his wounds. He stands a good chance of living to fight another day... but that day could come sooner than expected. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Freshwater*
In the second segment of Freshwater, a dead *Triceratops* is shown, having been slain by an old *T. rex*, which gets up from his nap and proceeds to feed on his prey, which left a deep gash in his right leg beforehand. The theropod, having been injured by decades of fighting large prey (with one fight even costing him the tip of his tail) goes down to a nearby river to drink and wash his newest wounds.

## Forests

  **Forests**, Segment II
**Setting**
Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA

In the second segment of Forests, a herd of *Triceratops* are seen making their way through a forest. Having eaten plants that developed toxins against them (and such toxins could severely poison the juveniles), the *Triceratops* journey to a cave in the mountains. While the cavern is familiar to most of the herd, who have regularly visited the cave by that point, it is unfamiliar to the youngster among them, who had to be urged to continue further in by his mother. The herd makes their way in via a passage carved over the course of thousands of years by an underground river.

Now in the deep, dark part of the cave system, the *Triceratops* navigate their way blindly to their destination. Given the absence of light, the juvenile tries to stick close to his mother in order to not get lost, but in the crowded passageway, the many adults end up kicking the calf, momentarily disorienting him and causing him to lose contact with the rest of the herd. Soon, the youngster was alone in total darkness, lost in the chambers of the cave, left to stumble around blindly and cry out for the rest of the herd.

The herd eventually reaches a part of the cave with the sun filtering through an opening to the surface, just out of reach. It is here that the herd finds what they've come for, the special clay coating the walls of the cave, which they scrape off with their hooked beaks or horns, then consume to counteract the toxins of the plants they digested. One mother *Triceratops*, finally noticing that her calf is missing, calls out to him. Fortunately, the juvenile manages to make it out of the dark passage and find his way back to his mother, who promptly scrapes some clay from the wall for him to eat.

***“ Once he's lined his stomach with clay, he too will be protected from the poisons in the leaves on which he feeds. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Forests*
Though hesitant to eat the clay, the youngster, for the sake of his continued survival, must consume it. Eventually, the *Triceratops* herd will head out of the cave, back to the forest and daylight.

## Swamps

**Swamps**, Segment V
**Setting**
Hell Creek Formation, Montana - South Dakota, USA

**Filming Location**
Bog Pond, Waterford, Oxford, Maine, USA
***“ Here, in spring, new plant growth creates new feeding grounds for the gathering herds. But where there are large numbers of plant-eaters, there are great hunters... T. rex. The most powerful land predators on the planet. They usually ambush their prey, but with so many watching eyes, this is not the right time to attack. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Swamps*
In the fifth and final segment of Swamps, a wetlands region, flooded all year round and turned into a lush, excellent feeding ground during springtime, attracts herds of *Edmontosaurus* and *Triceratops*. The large number of herbivores in the area, however, attracts the attention of two subadult *T. rex* brothers. They would prefer to ambush their prey, but with many of the herbivores already aware of their presence (including a formidable trio of *Triceratops*, which glare back at them while drinking from the swamp), the *T. rexes* postpone their attack for a better time, returning in the night to ambush and hunt down an *Edmontosaurus*.

## North America

**North America**, Segment IV
**Setting**
Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA

**Filming Location**
Winterfold Forest, western Greensand Ridge, Surrey, England

***“ Further north, the Rocky Mountains are still slowly rising. And as they do, they create higher, cooler landscapes where vast pine forests flourish. As spring arrives, strange calls echo through the trees. The mating season has arrived for one of North America's most heavily-armed dinosaurs. Triceratops. Every year, large numbers of these giants gather in clearings. The females have come to choose a mate. The six-tonne males fight and display their strength. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *North America*
In the fourth segment of North America, in the pine forests further up north by the Rocky Mountains, strange calls echo. Within a clearing, a large number of *Triceratops* gather, with females looking for mates, and males fighting to prove which one of them is the better candidate.

***“ This young male looks to be in prime condition, showing off his meter-long horns and his colorful head frill. His horns appear perfect, not yet damaged by battle. To a female, however, the absence of any wear and tear might suggest a potentially-critical weakness; a lack of experience. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *North America*
One of the young, six-tonne males attempts to impress some females by showing off his colorful frill and meter-long horns, perfectly-shaped and undamaged. Ironically, for the females, this makes the male a subpar choice, for the lack of wear and tear shows that the male is inexperienced, not seasoned by battle.

***“ These gatherings are crucial events in the lives of Triceratops. They provide the best chance in the whole year for the adults to become parents. And young hopefuls are not the only ones here. A 30 year-old male, weighing more than 10 tonnes. If there's one thing that he has in spades, it's decades of wear and tear. He may be old, but he's still strong enough to challenge a young rival, however fit. The stakes are high, and neither is willing to back down. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *North America*
Just then, a 30 year-old male, weighing over ten metric tons, walks in, his experience clear in his massive physique and impressively-long horns, with his right one longer than his left. Challenging each other to a duel, the younger male with the perfect horns and the veteran clash, locking horns repeatedly.

***“ The veteran has a four-tonne weight advantage... and the skill to make it count. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *North America*
Even so, it is clear that, in the struggle, the veteran has full control of the battle, using his greater mass to push the younger male back, while the younger male is unable to hold off the veteran. As they continue to lock horns, the veteran uses the skill he mastered through decades of experience to lift his rival up by the face and throw him to the ground.

***“ The youngster's horns are no longer perfect. The old bull's fighting prowess certainly seems to have impressed this female. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *North America*
When the dust settled, the younger male stood back up, the tip of his right horn snapped off and on the ground, along with his aspirations of getting a mate. The veteran proceeds to drive him off before attracting and mating with a female that witnessed the fight. The young male, with his horns no longer perfect, walks away, his chances for that year's mating season gone. Even so, there is the hope that, with this damage, he can attract a female next mating season, for he now has proof of having faced battle, regardless of whether it went his way or not.

***“ For the loser, the mating season is over. However, his newly-won battle scars may be just enough to attract a female next time the herds gather here to mate. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *North America*
It is even possible that, when he grows older and his left horn has healed, he'll end up being just like his opponent, a grizzled, ten-tonne veteran with longer horns, the right one longer than the left, a sign of great experience.

## Prehistoric Planet: Uncovered - Why Did *Triceratops* Have A Frill?

  **Why Did *Triceratops* Have A Frill?**
**Subject**
The overall function of *Triceratops* frills as display features and defensive weapons.

**Experts**
Professor Paul Barrett, Dr. Susannah Maidment
Footage of *Triceratops* from Forests and North America are used for this Uncovered segment, dedicated to uncovering the reason behind why the ceratopsian developed the head frill. Even 140 years after the first fossil was found, the purpose of the massive frill is still being investigated.

***“ These were enormous structures, so it's an enormous investment in bone and in tissue, and also in the muscular effort to hold these structures up. All of this investment must mean that these features are very important to the animal's way of life. ”***

― **Professor Paul Barrett**, *Natural History Museum*
Injuries on the fossils, like lesions on the skull and bite marks left by predators on the frill appear to indicate that they were meant for defense. But there's also the possibility that they were display structures to help attract mates. In living animals like moose, huge structures like horns and antlers serve as an attractive display and an indication of great health, which in turn helps the females know which male is ideal to mate with in order to produce the best of young.

***“ If it was only for defense, then we would expect to see them develop to the same degree in juveniles as in adults, but we don't. We see them being much smaller in the juveniles and not really developing into the very, very large structures of the adults until much later. ”***

― **Dr. Susannah Maidment**, *Natural History Museum*
Additional proof of their use in sexual display is seen in the very heavily-grooved surfaces of the frills, which were probably meant to house nerves and blood vessels to supply the skin growing over the frills, with these large surface areas likely being brightly colored to show off to potential mates. As a structure that serves many purposes, from attacking and defending against predators and rival males to serving as a vibrant display to attract females, the frill of *Triceratops* would have been an "awe-inspiring sight, to friend or foe".

## Prehistoric Planet Immersive

*Triceratops* is scheduled to appear in "Prehistoric Planet Immersive", a film on Apple Vision Pro (not to be confused with a new Prehistoric Planet app on the Apple Vision Pro, "Encounter Dinosaurs"). The animal's appearance in the upcoming film involves an intense battle between a herd of *Triceratops* and currently unidentified dromaeosaurs.

## Gallery

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A 30 year-old male (right) challenges a younger male (left)The veteran lifts his rival up by the face to throw him to the groundThe veteran has attracted a female
## Trivia

### Freshwater

* Ironically, despite being the first marginocephalian that appeared in the series, *Triceratops* is the second animal on Prehistoric Planet that was first introduced deceased (having been slain by a *T. rex* before the events of the second segment of Freshwater). The first was *Nemegtosaurus*, shown as a moderately-sized carcass (significantly smaller than a Mongolian Titan) surrounded by four *Tarbosaurus* in the second segment of Deserts.
* *T. rex* is seen feeding on a *Triceratops* starting from the neck. As a study in 2012 suggests, *T. rex* likely focused on the nutrient-rich neck muscles behind the frill of a *Triceratops* (which, in life, were necessary to help the ceratopsian support the great weight of its head).

### Forests

* It is justifiably plausible that, much like some animals today, *Triceratops* may have engaged in geophagy to protect their stomachs from the toxins of the plants they ate. In the newly-forming Rocky Mountains, it is believed that there were limestone caves during the time of *Triceratops*, providing possible clay lick sites for the dinosaurs.

### North America

* The veteran *Triceratops* appears to be based on "Yoshi's Trike" (MOR 3027), a specimen with horns 1.15 meters (3 feet, 9 inches) long. Accounting for keratin sheaths and the fact that Yoshi's Trike is not yet fully mature when it died, fully-grown *Triceratops* possibly had horns that grew longer than 1.22 meters (4 feet).
* Another *Triceratops horridus* specimen, known as "Big John", may be another possible inspiration, standing three meters (10 feet) tall, eight meters (26 feet) long, with a skull that is 2.62 meters (8 feet, 7 inches) long and 2 meters (6 feet, 7 inches) wide.
	+ Big John is believed to have been 60 years old when it died, twice the age of the veteran male in the segment. Though the specimen bore a gaping scar on its collar (likely caused by a rival *Triceratops*, further supporting the use of horns in intraspecific combat), given how the traumatic lesion showed signs of healing, it is believed that this wound was not the cause of Big John's death.
* This is the ninth segment to feature intraspecific combat, and the sixth one to result in the older individual winning.
	+ With this segment, *Triceratops*, despite being the first marginocephalian introduced, is the last of the four marginocephalians in the series shown engaging in intraspecific combat. However, one marginocephalian, the small Mongolian pachycephalosaur *Prenocephale*, was not involved in intraspecific combat at all (though one did engage in interspecific combat by nipping at a *Tarchia*).

## References

### General

1. ↑ Apple TV+ unveils groundbreaking, immersive originals from today’s biggest storytellers set to debut on Apple Vision Pro
2. ↑ How to eat a *Triceratops*: large sample of toothmarks provides new insight into the feeding behavior of *Tyrannosaurus*
3. ↑ Big John, largest known triceratops skeleton, sold at auction
4. ↑ Big John, largest known *Triceratops* skeleton, goes on display before auction
5. ↑ Flavio Bacchia, supervisor of Big John's assembly, determined that it was 60 years old when it died
6. ↑ Histological and chemical diagnosis of a combat lesion in Triceratops

### Dr. Darren Naish

1. ↑ Only one juvenile *Triceratops* appears onscreen in Forests, but there are many more juveniles that are part of the herd, just offscreen.
2. ↑ The fifth segment of Swamps has two subadult *T. rex* brothers hunting together in order to show the idea that dinosaurs of many sorts likely maintained familial social bonds throughout life.
3. ↑ *Triceratops* may have visited caves much like the elephants, rhinoceros, and bushbucks of Mt. Elgon in Kenya, Africa visit underground caves to mine salt-rich clay, and the Rocky Mountains, which were just rising around that time, likely had many limestone caves that can potentially provide these clay licks. Such behavior is widespread in the natural world today, mining rock faces for mineral content, either to neutralize the toxins of the plants they digested, as depicted on Prehistoric Planet, or to supplement their diet with various minerals.

### Prehistoric Planet

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 I Know Dino: The Big Dinosaur Podcast, Episode 445: Dinosaurs in Swamps: Featuring Prehistoric Planet 2
2. ↑ As indicated by the name of the *T. rex* pair's theme in the Official Soundtrack, "Tyrannosaurus Brothers".
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 I Know Dino: The Big Dinosaur Podcast, Episode 447: Dinosaurs in North America: Featuring Prehistoric Planet 2
4. ↑ As stated in Forests.