Triceratops Facts

The Triceratops which is famous for its distinctive horns and bony frill was one of the most well-known dinosaurs. This dinosaur lived around 68 million years ago during the late Cretaceous period in the region which is now North America.

Triceratops lived in a variety of environments which included floodplains and forested areas. These environments would have been full of lush vegetation which provided Triceratops with enough food to sustain its massive body.

The Triceratops belonged to the family of dinosaurs called ceratopsids which also included the Styracosaurus and Pachyrhinosaurus.

Triceratops would have eaten low-lying plants such as ferns, cycads, and horsetails. It is thought that Triceratops would have used its powerful beak to crop vegetation and its large muscular jaws to grind tough plant material.

Its iconic horns would have been mainly used for defence against the powerful predators which would have fed on Triceratops. These could also have been used in mating rituals either as a sign of fertility or a weapon against other would-be suitors. Similarly, its mighty frill would have been used either for display or defence.

Triceratops was a large dinosaur measuring approximately 8 to 9 meters in length and 3 meters tall at the hip. It is estimated to have weighed around 7 tonnes making it one of the largest ceratopsids.