Who discovered the Protoceratops skeleton?
The Protoceratops skeleton was first discovered by Roy Chapman Andrews. Andrews was a renowned paleontologist of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, United States. In 1922, he went on fossil-hunting expedition in Mongolia, Asia.
Who discovered Protoceratops in the Gobi Desert?
Photographer James Blaine Shackelford discovered the first specimen of Protoceratops in the Gobi desert, (Mongolia), as part of a 1922 American expedition looking for human ancestors.
How many species of Protoceratops are there?
Researchers currently distinguish two species of Protoceratops ( P. andrewsi and P. hellenikorhinus ), based in part by their respective sizes. In the 1920s, Roy Chapman Andrews discovered fossilized eggs in Mongolia that were interpreted as belonging to this dinosaur, but which turned out to be those of Oviraptor.
What is Protoceratops famous for?
Wikimedia Commons. Protoceratops was a small, inoffensive, horned and frilled dinosaur that was mostly famous for being on the lunch menu of the theropods of late Cretaceous central Asia, including Velociraptor. In the following slideshow, you'll discover fascinating Protoceratops facts.
Where was Protoceratops found?
MongoliaProtoceratops was first discovered in Mongolia, and a great many specimens have since been found in that nation and in northern China.
Who discovered Velociraptor Protoceratops and Oviraptor?
Although Andrews personally discovered and named many Mongolian dinosaurs in the early 1920s—including Oviraptor and Protoceratops—the honor of unearthing Velociraptor went to one of his associates, Peter Kaisen, who stumbled upon a crushed skull and toe claw at a dig site in the Gobi Desert.
What type of dinosaur is a Protoceratops?
ceratopsian dinosaurProtoceratops, (genus Protoceratops), ceratopsian dinosaur found as fossils in the Gobi Desert from 80-million-year-old deposits of the Late Cretaceous Period. Protoceratops was a predecessor of the more familiar horned dinosaurs such as Triceratops.
Did Protoceratops have teeth?
Protoceratops was only about 6 feet long 2 feet tall and weighed between 350 and 400 pounds. Don't let its size fool you, it had very strong jaws, teeth and a sharp beak that would probably do some damage. Alas, Protoceratops was a plant-eater and that fearsome beak was only used to chomp the yummiest vegetation.
Why is Oviraptor badly name?
Oviraptor is named from the Latin terms for “egg” and “robber,” because it was first found with the remains of eggs that were thought to belong to Protoceratops, an early horned dinosaur. However, microscopic studies of the eggshells have shown that they were not ceratopsian but theropod.
Who discovered the T. rex?
The first skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex was discovered in 1902 in Hell Creek, Montana, by the Museum's famous fossil hunter Barnum Brown. Six years later, Brown discovered a nearly complete T. rex skeleton at Big Dry Creek, Montana.
What did Protoceratops eat?
cretaceous plantsWhat did they eat? They were herbivores and would have eaten cretaceous plants. Their strong jaws would have helped them chew their food.
Was Protoceratops fast?
Protoceratops, pronounced pro-to-SER-uh-TOPS, (Greek—First Horned Face) was a small prehistoric ceratopsian dinosaur of the ornithischian order that existed in the Late Cretaceous Period....Quick Facts.NameProtoceratopsHeight2.6 feet (0.8 meters)Maximum SpeedUnknown but SlowTerritoryMongolia, North America6 more rows
How did Protoceratops defend itself?
Some dinosaurs found in this scene: 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.
How many horns did Protoceratops have?
twoThe neck frill specifically, underwent a dramatic change from a small, flat, and almost rounded structure in juveniles to a large, fan-like one in fully mature Protoceratops individuals. In 2001 Lambert and colleagues considered the development of the two nasal "horns" of P.
What is the meaning of Protoceratops?
pro·to·cer·a·tops (prō′tō-sĕr′ə-tŏps′) n. A small herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur of the genus Protoceratops of the Cretaceous Period, characterized by a bony frill on the back of the skull and a beaked mouth.
How long is a Protoceratops?
5.9 ft.Protoceratops / Length
Who discovered the Velociraptor?
Peter KaisenThe first Velociraptor fossil was discovered by Peter Kaisen on the first American Museum of Natural History expedition to the Outer Mongolian Gobi Desert in August 1923. The fossil consisted of a skull that was crushed but complete and a toe claw.
When was the Velociraptor discovered?
11 August 1923Since the discovery of the first Velociraptor fossil on 11 August 1923 in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, we've learnt a lot about this turkey-sized predator. Museum dinosaur researcher Dr David Button tells us more.
When was the first Velociraptor fossil found?
CretaceousVelociraptor / Earliest fossil recordThe Cretaceous is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago. It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of the entire Phanerozoic. Wikipedia
Who named the Velociraptor?
Velociraptor was named in 1924 by Henry Fairfield Osborn, president of the American Museum of Natural History. He bestowed the name on this dinosaur, which is derived from the Latin words "velox" (swift) and "raptor" (robber or plunderer), as an apt description of its survival tactics.
Where was the first protoceratops found?
andrewsi and Velociraptor mongoliensis in combat. Photographer James Blaine Shackelford discovered the first specimen of Protoceratops in the Gobi desert, ( Gansu, Inner Mongolia), as part of a 1922 American expedition looking for human ancestors.
What is the ancestor of the protoceratops?
Described by Walter W. Granger and W.K. Gregory in 1923, Protoceratops was initially believed to be an ancestor of the North American ceratopsians. Researchers currently distinguish two species of Protoceratops ( P. andrewsi and P. hellenikorhinus ), based in part by their respective sizes.
What is the oogenus of Protoceratopsidovum?
The oogenus Protoceratopsidovum (meaning " Protoceratops egg") was also originally misidentified as belonging to Protoceratops; it is now known to be the eggs of a derived theropod. P. andrewsi growth series. In 2011, a nest of 15 young Protoceratops andrewsi was discovered in Mongolia.
What is the name of the first protoceratopsian?
Protoceratops was the first named protoceratopsian and hence gives its name to the family Protoceratopsidae, a group of herbivorous dinosaurs more derived than psittacosaurids, but less derived than ceratopsids. The group is characterized by their similarities to the Ceratopsidae but with more cursorial limb proportions, generally smaller frills, and lack of large horns.
What is the Protoceratops 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. The skull consisted of a massive frontal beak, and four pairs of fenestrae (skull openings).
What dinosaur has a neck frill?
Description. Protoceratops was a quadrupedal dinosaur that was partially characterized by its distinctive neck frill at the back of its skull. The frill itself contained two large parietal fenestrae (holes in the frill), while its cheeks had large jugal bones.
What dinosaurs have no teeth?
The arch of bone over its nostrils had two small nasal horns, and there were no teeth at the front of the snout. In 2011, a specimen of Protoceratops first uncovered in 1965 was found to be preserved with its own footprint. It is the first example of a dinosaur to be preserved with footprints.
When was the protoceratops discovered?
Protoceratops is a dinosaur which lived around 71 million years ago during the end of the Mesozoic Period. It was first discovered in Mongolia—in the Gobi Desert—by Roy Chapman in 1922. Later in 1923, W. K. Gregory and Walter Granger described the newly found species.
Where is protoceratops found?
Protoceratops was an herbivore. Found in parts of Mongolia and North America. Its ancestors probably walked on two legs. Its name means “First Horned Face”. It was about the size of a large hog. Protoceratops Pictures.
How big is a protoceratops?
Protoceratops is believed to have been the size of a sheep when fully grown, albeit a very heavy sheep. It was approximately 6 to 8 feet long, 3 feet tall and weighed around a ton.
Where did protoceratops live?
Protoceratops thrived in Central Asia during the late Cretaceous Period, roughly 80-75 million years ago. Roughly 20 million years beforehand, a ceratopsian species that closely resembled Protoceratops is thought to have migrated from Asia to North America via a land bridge that spanned the region between what are now Siberia and Alaska. The descendants of this dinosaur eventually evolved into the huge horned ceratopsians such as Triceratops.
What is a protoceratops?
Protoceratops andrewsi. Protoceratops andrewsi is a fairly small and primitive ceratopsian, or horned dinosaur. Although it lacked the horns of later species, Protoceratops had a distinct bump above its nostrils and thickened bone over its eye sockets.
What is the name of the dinosaur that has horns?
Protoceratops andrewsi is a fairly small and primitive ceratopsian, or horned dinosaur. Although it lacked the horns of later species, Protoceratops had a distinct bump above its nostrils and thickened bone over its eye sockets. Like its larger and geologically younger relative Triceratops, this herbivore also had a bony neck frill that may have been used for species identification and display. With a name that means “Andrews’ early horned face,” this dinosaur reached two and one-half feet tall at the hips and grew up to six feet long. It weighed around 200 pounds and had a horn-covered beak that it used to crop plants and to defend itself.
Where was the protoceratops discovered?
Protoceratops andrewsi was discovered in Mongolia in 1922 by an expedition from the American Museum of Natural History led by Roy Chapman Andrews. Its genus name means "first-horned face," and its species name was in honor of the expedition's leader. Protoceratops is one of the most celebrated dinosaurs of the 20th century. Workers also discovered the skeleton of a nimble toothless predator that was later named Oviraptor philoceratops, which means "egg-stealer, lover of ceratopsians." In the Gobi Desert were parents, nests, eggs, hatchlings, and egg stealers all in one amazing deposit. This was the first discovery of dinosaur eggs, and the discovery made news everywhere.
How big is a protoceratops?
Protoceratops was a small, compact dinosaur, only six feet long as an adult and two feet tall at the hips. It weighed less than 400 pounds. Hatchlings were only a foot long, and the eggs were eight inches long and seven inches around. Although small as adults, Protoceratops had a sturdy build. The front legs were nearly as long as the back, so it could carry its heavy head and jaws. Its toes had claws that it used to dig in low vegetation for leaves and twigs. Its heavy tail balanced the animal when it walked.
What did protoceratops eat?
Food collected in its fleshy cheeks on the sides of the jaws. Along with low-growing shrubs and trees, Protoceratops may also have eaten the newly evolving angiosperms (flowering plants) that appeared in the Late Cretaceous.
Which primitive ceratopsians had a beak?
Another group of primitive ceratopsians, the psittacosaurs, also had a beak and lived earlier than Protoceratops and its relatives. Psittacosaurus was also found in Mongolia by the Andrews expedition. The psittacosaurs may have been the ancestors of Protoceratops.
Do protoceratops have horns?
Protoceratops did not have horns on its face or a shield like those found on its relative Triceratops. Protoceratops did have a slight bump on the snout below the eyes. It may have been the beginning of a horn. The bump was larger on males, which also had larger frills. Males may have used these features to attract females. With the discovery of so many skeletons, scientists concluded that Protoceratops lived in herds.
Where did dinosaurs live?
Also, the small pores and the pattern on the shells show that the eggs were adapted for desert conditions. In the 1920s, scientists thought that all dinosaurs lived in swamps and forests.
Is Protoceratops a dinosaur?
Protoceratops may be the ancestor of all horned dinosaurs. Because of this evolutionary link, and because of all the fossils found, it has been the subject of much study. Like all ceratopsians, Protoceratops was from the Late Cretaceous, but it was older than most of its relatives.
Where were protoceratops found?
Discovered primarily in China and Mongolia, various growth stages in Protoceratops are found. Photographer J.B. Shackelford discovered the first specimen of Protoceratops in the Gobi desert. Many different specimens were recovered by expeditions led by Roy Chapman Andrews.
How Did Protoceratops Move?
The hind limbs were stronger than the forelimbs and lent the back a pronounced arch. Protoceratops front moved low to the ground, while its frill protected its neck from larger aggressors that would approach from the top. Protoceratops likely came out to feed and socialize during short interims of the day and night, as opposed to being strictly nocturnal or diurnal.
What Did Protoceratops Eat?
Proceratops were herbivore Ceratopsians who used beaked snouts filled with teeth to eat on the period flora. The beak’s predenatory features aided Proceratops in its endeavors for food. It’s most likely that they grazed on fresh growing plants due to their small size, with later species grazing early grasses as they appeared toward the end of the cretaceous period. Horsetails were an important source of nutrition for herbivore dinosaurs. Fast-growing and resilient, Horsetails propagate via root systems that are underground and this allowed for much munching with plenty of new growth for some time. These and other flowering plants were widespread during the Cretaceous Period. These types of plants (angiosperms) evolved during the late Jurassic Period, and were largely contributive to the huge proliferation of dinosaurs of the dinosaur age.
Why is the protoceratops important?
Protoceratops ( Ceratops) was the first dinosaur known through every stage of life, and ultimately to its extinction during the End-Cretaceous event that was responsible for the loss of the dinosaur species. Ceratops are found in abundance due to the stoutness of their build, and have helped scientists open many doors to the prehistoric era. Protoceratops is important in the history of dinosaurs, since it is the type species for which both Ceratopsia and Ceratopsidae are named.
How much does a protoceratops weigh?
Protoceratops was a small and quadrupedal Ceratopsian dinosaur, the size of a pig or sheep. Very stout, the species could weigh 400—900 pounds. The head was large for the body, with a protective shield in the form of a bony frill or plate, over the back of the neck. The snout was beaked, like that of a rhinoceros.
What is the name of the dinosaur that has a small bump on its face?
This is marked as the first found Protoceratops nest, and has led scientists to entertain the possibility that Protoceratops parents may have cared for young in their nests. After hatching, the dinosaur babies probably resembled toads, with small bumps on the face and the indicative frill bump at the skull’s base.
What is the name of the species of Ceratops?
Its type species is P. montanus . However, now the species is referred to as Ceratops montanus , or C. montanus.
What is the Protoceratops 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. The skull consisted of a massive frontal beak, and four pairs of fenestrae (skull openings).
Where did the Protoceratops andrewsi fossils come from?
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). Researchers immediately noted the importance of the Protoceratops finds, and the genus was hailed as the "long-sought ancestor of Triceratops ". The fossils were in an excellent state of preservation, with even the sclerotic rings (delicate ocular bones) preserved in some specimens. P. hellenikorhinus skull In 1971, a fossil was found that captured a Velociraptor mongoliensis clutched around a Protoceratops andrewsi in Mongolia. It is believed that they died simultaneously, while fighting, when they were either surprised by a sand storm or buried when a sand dune collapsed on top of them.
Why did theropods eat protoceratops eggs?
The contemporary theropod Oviraptor was thought to consume Protoceratops eggs due to the discovery of an Oviraptor skeleton present at a nest. The skull was crushed, and it was speculated that the injury was received by a Protoceratops mother defending her nest from the predator. However, in 1993 Norrell et al. discovered an embryo inside a supposed Protoceratops egg. This embryo, upon close examination, turned out be an Oviraptor; the original find represented Oviraptor brooding behavior rather than a failed attempt at oophagy.
What is the function of a protoceratops?
Protoceratops had a large neck frill which was likely used as a display site to impress other members of the species. Other hypotheses about its function include protection of the neck and anchoring of jaw muscles, but the fragility of the frill and the poor leverage offered by possible attachment sites here makes these ideas implausible. Described by Walter W. Granger and W.K. Gregory in 1923, Protoceratops was initially believed to be an ancestor of the North American ceratopsians. Researchers currently distinguish two species of Protoceratops ( P. andrewsi and P. hellenikorhinus ), based in part by their respective sizes.
What dinosaur has a neck frill?
Description. Protoceratops was a quadrupedal dinosaur that was partially characterized by its distinctive neck frill at the back of its skull. The frill itself contained two large parietal fenestrae (holes in the frill), while its cheeks had large jugal bones.
How does a protoceratops defend itself?
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. The Velociraptor slashed the herbivore's throat while the Protoceratops bit the raptor's arm and broke it.
How big is a protoceratops?
Protoceratops was approximately 1.8 meters (5.9 ft) in length and 0.6 meters (2 ft) high at the shoulder. A fully grown adult would have weighed about 82.7 kilograms (182 lb). Smaller specimens are estimated at 23.7 kilograms (52 lb).
Overview
History of discovery
In 1900 Henry Fairfield Osborn suggested that Central Asia may have been the center of origin of most animal species, including humans, which caught the attention of explorer and zoologist Roy Chapman Andrews. This idea later gave rise to the First (1916 to 1917), Second (1919) and Third (1921 to 1930) Central Asiatic Expeditions to China and Mongolia, organized by the American Museum of Natural History under the direction of Osborn and field leadership of Andrews. The te…
Description
Protoceratops was a relatively small-sized ceratopsian, with both P. andrewsi and P. hellenikorhinus estimated around 2 m (6.6 ft). Although similar in overall body size, the latter had a relatively greater skull length. P. andrewsi weighed between 164–177 kg (362–390 lb), and P. hellenikorhinus nearly 180 kg (400 lb). Both species can be differentiated by the following characteristics:
Classification
Protoceratops was in 1923 placed within the newly named family Protoceratopsidae as the representative species by Granger and Gregory. This family was characterized by their overall primitive morphology in comparison to the more derived Ceratopsidae, such as lack of well-developed horn cores and relative smaller body size. Protoceratops itself was considered by the authors to be somehow related to ankylosaurians based on skull traits, with a more intensified de…
Paleobiology
In 1955 paleontologist Georg Haas examined the overall skull shape of Protoceratops and attempted to reconstruct its jaw musculature. He suggested that the large neck frill was likely an attachment site for masticatory muscles. Such placement of the muscles may have helped to anchor the lower jaws, useful for feeding. Yannicke Dauphin and colleagues in 1988 described the enamel microstructure of Protoceratops, observing a non-prismatic outer layer. They concluded t…
Paleoenvironment
Based on general similarities between the vertebrate fauna and sediments of Bayan Mandahu and the Djadokhta Formation, the Bayan Mandahu Formation is considered to be Late Cretaceous in age, roughly Campanian. The dominant lithology is reddish-brown, poorly cemented, fine grained sandstone with some conglomerate, and caliche. Other facies include alluvial (stream-deposited) and eolian (wind-deposited) sediments. It is likely that sediments at Bayan Mandahu were depo…
Cultural significance
In 1993 the Folklorist and historian of science Adrienne Mayor of Stanford University suggested that the exquisitely preserved fossil skeletons of Protoceratops, Psittacosaurus and other beaked dinosaurs, found by ancient Scythian nomads who mined gold in the Tian Shan and Altai Mountains of Central Asia, may have been at the root of the image of the mythical creature known as the griffin. Griffins were described as lion-sized quadrupeds with large claws and a raptor-bird-like …
See also
• Timeline of ceratopsian research
• List of dinosaur specimens with documented taphonomic histories