Protoceratops was in some ways the first true ceratopsian. It had a small size and a large skull. It also had a beak similar to that of a turtle, along with a small crest and a ruff at the end of its head.
It has been found with small eggs and a large number of fossils, ranging from young specimens to adults. The eggs of this species were the first found of all dinosaurs.
He had an especially large and disproportionate skull, compared to his body.. This could be due to a large, wide nape at the back of the head. Its hind legs were longer than its front legs.
Despite this, he could move like a quadruped. Its tail had a flap of skin in the middle. It lacked horns on its forehead, but had a nasal crest on the front of its head. Its large beak was possibly covered with a horn that it used to bite into hard vegetation.
© Nobu Tamura
– Creative Commons
Discovery of Protoceratops
The first discovery of Protoceratops was in 1922 through photographer James Blaine Shackelford. He went to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, on an American expedition that initially searched for human ancestors.
This initiative, which was under the direction of Roy Chapman Andrews, did not find human fossils. But he did obtain fruitful results with dinosaur remains. They were made with specimens, not only of Protoceratops. They also got Oviraptors, ceratopsian Psittacosarus and Velociraptors.
In the description made later in 1923 by Walter Granger and Wk Gregory, they named it Proteceratos andrewsi and it was considered the holotype specimen. They were found in the Djadochta Formation and originated in the Upper Cretaceous. Specifically, they were located between 75 and 71 million years BC.
This species was declared as the Longest-sought ancestor of Triceratops. They were remains in excellent condition in which you could even see the sclerotic rings in the eyes.
In 1971, a Velociraptor was found attached to a Proteceratops andrewsi, in the same formation in Mongolia. It is thought that they died at the same time while engaged in a fight, when they were caught in a sand storm, or when a dune collapsed.
Later in 1975, Halszka Osmólska and Tersa Maryanska, two Polish paleontologists described another variant they called Protoceratops kozlowkii, which was from the same stage. Some time later it was determined that they were incomplete juvenile fossils.
In 2001, the species Protoceratops helenikorhinus was found in the Bayan Mandahu Formation in Mongolia. It was much larger than the holotype and possessed a slightly different frill, along with stronger jugular horns. It also had two small, toothless nasal horns on the front of its snout.
The last relevant matter occurred in 2011 in which a specimen found in 1965, preserved with its own fingerprint, was found. It was the first specimen found in these conditions.
© James St. John
– Creative Commons
What does Protoceratops mean?
The name Protoceratops comes from the Greek proto What does first mean? cerat what is horns and of ops what does it mean expensive. This completes its meaning first with horns on the face.
The epithet andrewsi The one carrying the holotype specimen was assigned based on the director of the expedition that found the first fossil, named Roy Chapman Andrews.
The Protoceratopsidae family
The horns of these herbivorous dinosaurs were quite small, and the largest species could measure up to four meters long. They were similar and closely related to the Ceratopsia, but were generally smaller and more primitive. So far they have only been found in Asia in the Nemegt Basin.
The taxon Protoceratopsidae was described by Walter W. Granger and Willim King Gregory in 1923. They established it as a family separate from Protoceratops andrewsi. However, they recognized the close relationship that Proteceratops had with other Ceratopsia.
This group includes all the Ceratopsia that were more developed than the Psittacosauridae, but were more primitive than the Ceratopsidae. In 1998, Paul Sereno, who was a researcher, defined the Proteceratopsidae as closer to Protoceratops than to Triceratops.
Protoceratops Vs Velociraptor
Who would have won in a confrontation between Protoceratops and Velociraptor? In fact, remains of both specimens were found locked in a fight. However, the ending prevented a winner from being defined. Next we will do a comparison to determine who would survive in a fight.
Protoceratops
The largest size of a Protoceratops could reach 150 kg. Its height at the shoulders was 60 centimeters and it could measure up to 2 meters long. Its speed was around 16 km/h and it had a heavy body with ruffles on the back of the neck.
Its large beak-like mouth could bite hard and its powerful jaws were useful against its adversaries. He could also grab other individuals and trample them.
Velociraptor
Its volume was around 45 kg, it was almost 1 meter high and almost 2 meters tall. Its maximum speed was 38 km/h and it had a very agile bipedal stride. He was fast and versatile. It had a claw almost 8 cm long on the second toe of each foot.
It is known that he attacked with agility and had great balance. It also had 28 serrated teeth on the posterior edge. He could catch and hold his prey to finish it off later. He was a great solitary hunter.
Size
In matters of size it is obvious that the Protoceratops has the advantage. Its weight could be around 150 kg, while the Velociraptor barely reached 45 kg. In this matter, the first is the winner.
Speed
In this case, the Protoceratops can display a speed of 16 km/h compared to the 38 km/h of the Velociraptor. Without a doubt, the latter has advantages in speed and movement.
Defenses
The Velociraptor is fast and agile. Its best defense is attack, because outside of that it did not have structures to protect its body. On the other hand, Protoceratops used ruffles on its neck that protected it from fatal attacks. It was a bone outcropping that could absorb a large amount of damage.
Stroke
Protoceratops could shake and hit its enemies. In the same way he immobilized his attackers to trample and attack them. His mouth used a very powerful bite.although it was most useful when chewing leaves.
Velociraptor had a powerful claw with which it tore apart its victims, cutting them deeply. He would jump on his prey to open it while he held it with his front claws. Added to this were its serrated teeth.
Predatory behavior
Protoceratops, like all herbivores, was not a predator. On the other hand, Velociraptor, yes. He searched for his prey alone, ambushed and preyed on them in a timely manner.
Winner
Due to its agility, speed and predatory behavior, there is no doubt that the Velociraptor is the winner in a fight against the Protoceratops. Fossil evidence shows that it was actively taken advantage of.
Characteristics of Protoceratops
Discover the characteristics of Protoceratops below.
Classification
It was the first protoceratopsian to be named, thus giving rise to the Proteceratopsidae family. It consisted of a group of herbivorous dinosaurs closest to psitcosaurids. It resembled the Ceratopsidae, but with smaller limbs, shorter frills, and fewer large horns.
© Ryan Somma
– Creative Commons
Description
Protoceratops had a large bony skull with a protuberance on its snout, a sharp beak, and a protective frill. It lacked horns like those that Triceratops would later have.
It also had a short and blunt nose horn. It is estimated that she lived in small family groups. Maybe he had a small tuft of feathers on his tail like Psittacosaurus.
A large number of its fossils come from herds that reflect many stages of the life of Protoceratops. It started out as a small calf with a bulbous nose and a rounded frill.
Juveniles had considerably larger eyes, thinner and generally smaller bodies. Adults had wide frills, which could have been used for strutting during courtship or to anchor thick jaw muscles. Its frill had two defined parietal fenestrae that sprouted from its cheeks.
The frills of some individuals were small and compact, while those of others spanned the length of their skulls. This proves that they were different for each animal.
The frill was composed of a parietal and squamous bone. Some specialists think that it was a sign of sexual dimorphism, according to age.
This small dinosaur with a large, disproportionate head could bite fiercely which could have been useful in a duel or in defense.
Their jaws full of teeth crushed the vegetation for better digestion. Its skull had four fenestrae, the nose being the closest. Each eye socket was 50 millimeters in diameter, and had an infratemporal window hidden behind them.
The Protoceratops is one of the dinosaurs that has the most fossil samples.
Reproduction
In 2011, a nest of 15 Protoceratops andrewsi was found in Mongolia. It is the first nest found to date. The finding suggests that they could have cared for their young in these nests up to a certain point in their development.
Studying the growth lines of their teeth suggested that incubation times were a minimum of 83.16 days for the Protoceratops andrewsi variety.
© Ballista
– Creative Commons
Activity
The study of the large eyes of this specimen suggests that it had a nocturnal lifestyle. However, when comparing the scleral rings of Protoceratops with those of modern birds and reptiles, this indicates that its activity would have been more cathemeral. This means that it acted in short periods of time.
Predators
Velociraptor was the main predator of Protoceratops. It could cut his throat and bleed him dry, although he could also receive collateral damage such as bites that damaged some of his limbs.
Feeding
The Protoceratops used its beaked snout full of teeth to eat the characteristic flora of the period. Possibly it grazed among fresh plants due to its small size. He ate horsetails which was a very important source of nutrition for herbivorous dinosaurs.
These plants were fast growing and very resistant. They spread through root systems underground, which allowed them to chew a lot. They could do it in abundance since they believed quickly.
It also ate flowering plants, which spread in the Cretaceous. Angiosperm plants evolved during the Jurassic and contributed greatly to the proliferation of dinosaurs.
Motion
Protoceratops had stronger hind legs than its front legs, which gave it a pronounced arch to its back. His forehead is…