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. However,‭ ‬Protoceratops remains have also proved to be a bit of a‭ '‬Red Herring‭' ‬on occasion.‭ ‬When the first dinosaur eggs were discovered in the Gobi Desert,‭ ‬the large number of Protoceratops remains in the area was taken as indicative that these eggs belonged to them.‭ ‬However a specimen of  Oviraptor  was also discovered with them,‭ ‬and since its skull was crushed,‭ ‬it was presumed that the Oviraptor had been killed by a Protoceratops that had been defending the nest.