Protoceratops, (its name meaning ‘First Horned Face’ derived from the Greek proto-/πρωτο- meaning ‘first’, cerat-/κερατ- meaning ‘horn’ and -ops/-ωψ meaning face) was a sheep-sized (1.5 to 2m long) herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur, from the Upper Cretaceous Period of what is now Mongolia.

What does the name Protoceratops mean?

Protoceratops, (its name meaning ‘First Horned Face’ derived from the Greek proto-/πρωτο- meaning ‘first’, cerat-/κερατ- meaning ‘horn’ and -ops/-ωψ meaning face) was a sheep-sized (1.5 to 2m long) herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur, from the Upper Cretaceous Period of what is now Mongolia.

Are Triceratops and Protoceratops related?

Protoceratops was a predecessor of the more familiar horned dinosaurs such as Triceratops. Like other ceratopsians, it had a rostral bone on the upper beak and a small frill around the neck, but Protoceratops lacked the large nose and eye horns of more derived ceratopsians.

How did the Protoceratops defend itself?

A distinctive feature of Protoceratops is its bony neck frill, which may have been used by Protoceratops to defend itself against predators. Or this feature may have helped Protoceratops attract a mate or scare off challengers of the same species, much as a deer uses its antlers.

What type of dinosaur is a Protoceratops?

Ceratopsian
What type of dinosaur was a Protoceratops? The Protoceratops is a type of Ceratopsian. A herbivore, the Protoceratops belongs to the Protoceratopsidae family – a group of early horned dinosaurs.

How did Protoceratops get its name?

Protoceratops was an herbivore from Mongolia. The name comes from the Greek language ‘proto- meaning “first,” and ‘-certaops,’ meaning horn face. It looks like a mini version of Triceratops, with the same distinctive frill on its face.

Where has Protoceratops been found?

Mongolia
Protoceratops was first discovered in Mongolia, and a great many specimens have since been found in that nation and in northern China.

Who named Protoceratops?

Discovery and species Walter Granger and W. K. Gregory formally described the type species, P. andrewsi in 1923, the specific name in honor of Andrews. The fossils hail from the Djadochta Formation and date from the Campanian stage of the Upper Cretaceous (dating to between 75 and 71 million years ago).

What are Protoceratops predators?

Predators. Protoceratops defends itself against a Velociraptor Protoceratops had predators like Velociraptor to keep its numbers down. A famous fossil shows a lone Velociraptor take down a lone Protoceratops.

Did Protoceratops have teeth?

Protoceratops was a relatively small dinosaur with a proportionately large skull. Protoceratops appears to have had muscular jaws capable of a powerful bite. These jaws were packed with dozens of teeth, well suited for chewing tough vegetation.

¿Cómo se llama el primer dinosaurio con cuernos?

Su nombre proviene del griego πρωτο proto, “primero”, κερατ, cerat, “cuernos” y ωψ, ops, “cara”. Forma parte de la familia Protoceratopsidae, un grupo integrado por los primeros dinosaurios con cuernos.

¿Dónde se encuentran los fósiles de los dinosaurios?

Los fósiles se encuentran en excelente estado, con el anillo esclerótico, unos delicados huesos de la órbita ocular, preservados en algunos de los especímenes. Protoceratops y Velociraptor en combate. En 1971 se encontró un fósil de este dinosaurio entrelazado en combate con un Velociraptor en la Formación Djadochta en Omnogov, Mongolia.

¿Cuál es el primer dinosaurio preservado con huellas?

En 2011 se descubrió que un espécimen de Protoceratops que fue desenterrado originalmente en 1965 preservaba huellas del animal. Es el primer ejemplo conocido de un dinosaurio preservado con huellas.