Protoceratops
Name: Protoceratops (First horned face).
Phonetic: Pro-toe-seh-rah-tops.
Named By: Walter W. Granger & William King Gregory - 1923.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria, Ornithischia, Cerapoda, Ceratopsia, Protoceratopsidae.
Species: P. andrewsi (type), P. hellenikorhinus.
Type: Herbivore.
Size: Average about 1.8 meters long up to 2 meters long for largest individuals.
Known locations: China. Mongolia.
Time period: Campanian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Multiple individuals are known, allowing for accurate reconstruction.
When first discovered, Protoceratops was heralded as the ancestor to the massive North American ceratopsian dinosaurs such as Triceratops. However with the advent of new and continuing studies of the group, Protoceratops is now considered to be more representative of the type of dinosaur that led to the larger North American species as opposed to being 'the' ancestor of them.
Protoceratops is nevertheless significant in its discovery as it has revealed many fascinating insights into dinosaur life. The large numbers of remains found relatively close to one another is taken as evidence of herding behaviour. Preservation of the scleral rings indicates a cathermal lifestyle meaning that Protoceratops was active for short periods throughout the day, perhaps as a reaction to the arid conditions of the time. It would make sense to spend shorter amounts of time foraging before retreating to more sheltered areas when conditions were too intense such as the heat associated with midday.
The head of Protoceratops appears to be oversized when seen in relation to its body, and this housed a large cropping beak at the front, the extra size maybe to make use of more powerful jaw muscles allowing the beak to slice through tough vegetation. Inside its mouth, several dozen teeth worked to grind the plant material, allowing for more effective digestion.
Although Protoceratops did not have the elaborate horns that were typical of some ceratopsian dinosaurs, it still possessed a frill that covered its neck. It also had two greatly enlarged jugal bones, but there is a great amount of variation in size and shape of both these and the frill between individuals. Explanations for these variations include possible indications of age, with older animals having larger projections, to maybe even signs of sexual dimorphism, with males having larger frill and jugals for display purposes.
