TRICERATOPS

plural triceratopses (genus triceratops) any of a class of large plant-eating dinosaurs of the Late Cretaceous Epoch (97.5 to 66.4 million years ago), characterized by a great bony hood and horns. The triceratops was among the last of the dinosaurs to evolve and among the last to become extinct. It had a massive body (as much as 8 m long), very long skull, large bony frill about the neck, and three long, pointed horns, one on the nose and two longer ones above the eyes. The horns above the eyes were more than 1 m (3 feet) long, and the skull alone was sometimes more than 2 m (6 feet) long. The mouth was beaklike in the front and probably effective for nipping off vegetation. The cheek teeth, though relatively simple, could effectively chew plant material. The skeleton was massive, the limbs were very stout, and the feet ended in stubby toes probably covered by small hooves. The hind limbs were more massive than the forelimbs. It has been estimated that the triceratops must have weighed as much as four to five tons when full-grown. They were upland, browsing animals that may have traveled in groups or small herds.