⊛ Torosaurus – Resumenea

What is a Torosaurus?

It was a chasmosaurine ceratopsian dinosaur from the Triceraptosini tribe. It had characteristics in common with the Triceratops but in reality it also had its own peculiarities. Its fossil remains place it between 86 and 65 million years ago..

The name Torosaurus means pierced lizard and it was chosen based on the openings it had in its neck.

It stood out for having a very large skull with a bony crest that could measure up to 2.7 meters long. This occupied more than half of its total length. Its head was large and held long, sharp, robust horns on its forehead. Its skull was the largest of any land animal that ever existed.

Finding of the Torosaurus

Torosaurus was discovered and named by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1891. It happened two years after the naming and discovery of its relative Triceratops. For a long time it was thought that they were the same animal. But a study that was carried out later showed that despite belonging to the same family they were two different species.

Some of the places where Torosaurus fossils have been found are Montana, Canada, South Dakota, Utah, Texas and New Mexico. However, there are few signs of the species. At least compared to the Triceratops of which there are a large number of finds.

The first, which was called Torosaurus latus in 1891, was found in Wyoming by John Bell Hatcher. As we said before, it was named and described by Marsh.

So what was found were a pair of skulls that had elongated ruffles. Later similar ones appeared in other parts of North America.

Torosaurus utahensis Gilmore has also been identified. It was discovered in 1946 and was renamed in 1976 as utahensis by Lawson.

The Ceratopsidae family

The Torosaurus was part of the ceratopsids. That is, it belonged to the Ceratopsidae family. Its main feature was its skull with quite elaborate horns and ruffles. They were also quadrupeds.

They fed exclusively on vegetation, using their beaks and teeth in rows of scissors, using the back of their jaws to tear and chew hard-textured plants and herbs.

It was divided into two groups known as Chasmosaurinae and Centrosaurinae. The Torosaurus belonged to the first. They were differentiated due to their long, well-developed triangular ruffles and horns over their eyes.

The horns and frills contained the signs of their identity, although their function is always debated. It is considered that its purpose could have been one of the following:

Repel predators: At first glance they could have been natural ways to defend themselves from their predators. Although they had a certain fragility that might not have been entirely effective. That is why it is assumed that they were used mostly to intimidate.
Opposite sex attraction: Because they contained their identity, it is possible that they had the same function as the tails of peacocks. That is, to attract a possible sexual partner.
Communication: There is a possibility that in some way it allowed them to communicate with their peers.

The remains of ceratopsids have been found in sites with a large number of bones. This is a clear indication that they were very social and that they moved in herds or formed groups.

They were also adapted to process plant materials with high fibrous content. It is thought that they used fermentation to break down plant matter with their intestinal microflora. They consumed food that grew less than a meter high in the vegetation.

Evidence also points to the Ceratopsidae being preyed upon by Tyrannosaurus rex. T-rex tooth marks were found on Triceratops remains. In some cases they could survive the encounter, when there was evidence of their healing.

Torosaurus and Triceratops, were they the same?

Othniel Marsch’s discovery in the 19th century was first of two ceratopsians. One became very popular and is known today as Triceratops. However, the other specimen turned out to be different.

It was the Torosaurus that stood out because it had a different cranial structure. It had a flat, raised ruff with large openings. On the other hand, the Triceratops had a more curved and robust one.

Both were found in the same formations in North America. And except for their specific differences, it was practically very difficult to differentiate one from the other.

Investigation

Despite the notable differences, John Scanella and Jack Horner conducted a study in which they compared more than 50 specimens of Triceratops that were discovered in North America.

Looking at the shape of the horn bones on Triceratops’s forehead, they noticed that what appeared to be a mature individual could actually still be developing. They lacked the amount of dense, mature bone that would be expected in a fully grown animal. However this form of mature bone was found in the horns of Torosaurus.

So far, mature Torosaurus skulls have been found, much less frequently than those attributed to young Triceratops.

However, Scanella and Horner’s thesis could explain why no juvenile Torosaurs were found. Or perhaps it could reveal why they were found but assigned as adult Triceratops.

They also speculated that Nedoceratops were identical to Triceratops. If so, it would represent an animal that could be between a juvenile Triceratops and a putative Torosaurus.

Different species

Although this hypothesis would have aroused some interest, its validity is now questioned. This is due to the lack of transition and the characteristics of the skulls in both specimens.

Nicholas Longrich and Daniel Field, researchers at Yale University, examined 35 specimens that have been attributed to the two species. Their conclusion was that they were two different species.

They reviewed a series of peculiarities of the skull and used a computer program with which they classified them from the youngest to the oldest. Thus they discovered that there were skulls in both species, both young and old specimens.

This fact does not find a common basis with the thesis that assumes that both are of the same species. Andrew Farke has also seen numerous weaknesses in the Triceratops and Torosaurus identity speculation, including the thinning of the bones within the ruff.

The thin bones in Triceratops would not result in holes at some later point in its life. On the contrary, they represent muscular insertions. The modifications it should have undergone to become a Torosaurus should have included additional bones within the ruff, which were not present then.

Ancient Triceratops

Farke argued that there were Triceratops skulls with deep frills, which could be from an elderly specimen. Added to this is that the clean shape of a Torosaurus bone is probably from a young animal.

Longrich also stated that if it were the same animal, transaction specimens should be found. It would be appropriate to reveal where the skull changes between two skull shapes.

Andrew Farke also redescribed Nedoceratops. This denied that the skull bones were a transition to adulthood.

Characteristics of the Torosaurus

Now that we know more about the identity of the Torosaurus we can move towards understanding some of its characteristics. The most important are the following.

Classification

Torosaurus is found in biological classification as a subfamily known as Chasmosaruinaewhich is part of the Ceratopsidae. This group of herbivorous dinosaurs are known to have spikes Similar to those of the parrots. They developed in North America and also in Asia, mostly between the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Some young specimens were discovered in the Javelin Formation in Big Bend National Park.

When and where did he live

The Torosaurus lived on the planet approximately 65 million years ago., in what was the Cretaceous. He lived in North America, especially North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Saskatchewan, Utah, Colorado and Wyoming.

Feeding

The Torosaurus was one of the most successful herbivores of its time. It was a quadruped with a large body volume that possibly would have had to eat a lot of food to maintain its weight.

Most likely, it browsed the foliage of its habitat daily, especially in swampy areas. It would possibly graze in any area covered with not very tall grass. Their diet would have included ferns, cycads and conifers.

It used its strong jaws and sharp beak to break off pieces of foliage that was heavier and very fibrous.

Motion

Torosaurus is believed to have been a quadrupedal herbivore with the occasional tendency toward bipedal movement. There is a possibility that it was a precursor, but the fossils are not enough to prove it.

Initially it was considered a slow animal, because it had inefficiently opposite or separated forelimbs. However, new studies indicated that its hind legs had special aligned joints that would have given it speed similar to that of a rhinoceros.

This was possibly a good defense against predators, in addition to its horns and the frill on its neck.

Other features

An additional theory indicates that Torosaurus had more similarities to hippos than to rhinoceros or elephant. It is possible that its massive shield or horns were not enough to deter a predator from running away quickly or swimming through the water.

The hippopotamus can run at 12 km/h underwater, it is not an exaggeration to think that the Torosaurus did the same to get to safety.

Added to this is the fact that it existed before most grasses developed in abundance. This would have placed it most of the time in deep, swampy areas, in lakes or ponds.

Traits and behavior

It is thought that Torosaurus mostly lived in herds for protection and better grazing. But this coexistence with their conspecifics could be relative because the males were very territorial since they maintained control over their herds for decades.

During mating the males would somehow bathe their crests with blood to highlight or reveal their patterns. This was relevant to their display, increasing their chances of reproducing. Also along with their horns they were a sign of their status in the pack.

It didn’t have many predators, except perhaps for the T-rex or another Torosaurus with which it could engage in fierce competition.

The most important defense of the volantas was that they could not have immediate physical contact. AND…