Although previously suggested for P. hellenikorhinus, the team argued that the sample used for this species was not sufficient, and given that sexual dimorphism was not recovered in P. andrewsi, it is unlikely that it occurred in P. They lived during the Late Cretaceous period 75-71 million years ago. There are two documented species: the type genus P. andrewsi and the newly named P. hellenikorhinus. [8], The specimen shortly became notorious and was nicknamed the Fighting Dinosaurs. Their neural spines were smaller than the first three vertebrae and the development of the capitular facet diminished from the fourth cervical onwards. [129], AMNH 6418 specimen with possible skin impressions (left), and line diagram of footprint associated with specimen ZPAL Mg D-II/3 (right), Forelimb (top), pelvic (middle), and hindlimb fossil bones (bottom) of specimen ZPAL Mg D-II/3, Fossil cast of the Fighting Dinosaurs specimen (left) and life restoration of same depicting the fight (right), Last edited on 17 February 2023, at 01:55, List of dinosaur specimens with documented taphonomic histories, "Protoceratops andrewsi, a pre-ceratopsian dinosaur from Mongolia", "Three new Theropoda, Protoceratops zone, central Mongolia", "The Structure and Relationships of Protoceratops", "On Protoceratops, a primitive ceratopsian dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Mongolia", "Narrative of the Polish-Mongolian Palaeontological Expeditions, 1967-1971", "The Russian-Mongolian expeditions and research in vertebrate palaeontology", "Djadokhta Formation correlative strata in Chinese Inner Mongolia: an overview of the stratigraphy, sedimentary geology, and paleontology and comparisons with the type locality in the pre-Altai Gobi", "A nest of Protoceratops andrewsi (Dinosauria, Ornithischia)", "A New Mass Mortality of Juvenile Protoceratops and Size-Segregated Aggregation Behaviour in Juvenile Non-Avian Dinosaurs", " ", "The fossil record, systematics and evolution of pachycephalosaurs and ceratopsians from Asia", "A Montanoceratops cerorhynchus (Dinosauria: Ceratopsia) Braincase from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta", "Ontogeny and variation of a protoceratopsid dinosaur Bagaceratops rozhdestvenskyi from the Late Cretaceous of the Gobi Desert", "A new Species of Protoceratops (Dinosauria, Neoceratopsia) from the Late Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia (P. R. China)", "The First Discovery of the Late Cretaceous Protoceratopsid Fauna from Alxa, Inner Mongolia, China", "Bainoceratops efremovi, a New Protoceratopid Dinosaur (Protoceratopidae, Neoceratopsia) from the Bain-Dzak Locality (South Mongolia)", "Yamaceratops dorngobiensis, a New Primitive Ceratopsian (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Cretaceous of Mongolia", 10.1206/0003-0082(2006)3530[1:YDANPC]2.0.CO;2, "A new neoceratopsian dinosaur linking North American and Asian taxa", 10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[625:ANNDLN]2.0.CO;2, "The microstructures of the dinosaurian eggshells of Nanxiong Basin, Guandong province. These posters are perfect for classroom, science lab, or home school. [11], Fastovsky in 1997 examined the geology at Tugriken Shireh providing insights into the taphonomy of Protoceratops. Several isolated burrows found in sediments at this locality have also been reported penetrating in the bone surface of some buried Protoceratops individuals. [12], Hone and colleagues in 2014 indicated that two assemblages of Protoceratops at Tugriken Shireh (MPC-D 100/526 and 100/534) suggest that individuals died simultaneously, rather than accumulating over time. The Velociraptor has its right hand trapped within the jaws of the Protoceratops and the left one grasping the Protoceratops skull. It lived alongside Shantungosaurus, Zhuchengtyrannus, and Zhuchengceratops . [29], Nevertheless, in 2011 an authentic nest of Protoceratops was reported and described by David E. Fastovsky and colleagues. They also pointed out that while taxa such as Leptoceratops and Montanoceratops are recovered from fluvial sediments, they are estimated to be some of the poorest swimmers. Suppose this scenario: A member of our scientific community has discovered an alternate Earth with a recent point of departure ("recent . Sowiak and team also suggested that the flat and wide hand unguals (claw bone) of Protoceratops may have been useful for moving on loose terrain (such as sand) without sinking. A group of five medium-sized and adult Protoceratops was observed at the Bayan Mandahu locality. Individuals with a high nasal horn, massive prefrontals, and frontoparietal depression were tentatively determined as males. Based on the size of its sclerotic ring, Protoceratops had an unusually large eyeball among protoceratopsids. To accommodate this equipment, the skull of Protoceratops was almost comically large compared to the rest of its body, giving it a distinctly "top . [32], Osmlska in 1993 proposed another two hypotheses in order to explain their preservation. (plus 4 other paragraphs) Animal Characteristics: Habitat: Desert; Location: Asia; Era: Cretaceous Minimum happiness needed for chance of breeding: 95. Dodson found most of these characters to be highly variable across specimens, especially the frill which he interpreted to have had a bigger role in displaying behavior than simply serving as a site of masticatory muscles. The other group of skulls is characterized by low nasals that have undeveloped horns; a relatively longer antorbital length; and more oblique nostrils. Protoceratops was a predecessor of the more familiar horned dinosaurs such as Triceratops. Griffins were described as lion-sized quadrupeds with large claws and a raptor-bird-like beak; they laid their eggs in nests on the ground. The centra (centrum; body of the vertebrae) of the first three cervicals were coossified together (atlas, axis and third cervical respectively) creating a rigid structure. The tibia (shinbone) was long and slender with a wide lower end. He agreed in that the preservation of Protoceratops specimens indicate that they underwent a catastrophic event such as desert storms, and carcasses were not relocated by scavengers or environmental factors. [75], In 2012 Naoto Handa and colleagues described four specimens of P. andrewsi from the Udyn Sayr locality of the Djadokhta Formation. Most embryos within this clutch have a flexed position and the outlines of eggs are also present, suggesting that they were buried in ovo (in the egg). The co-authors also agreed with Osborn in that Asia, if more explored, could solve many major evolutionary gaps in the fossil record. [27] Moreover, phylogenetic analyses published in 2008 by Darla K. Zelenitsky and Franois Therrien have shown that Protoceratopsidovum represents the eggs of a maniraptoran more derived than oviraptorids and not Protoceratops. Story. Protoceratops is the one dinosaur that every fossil hunting expedition finds in Mongolia. [23], As part of the Third Central Asiatic Expedition of 1923, Andrews and team discovered the holotype specimen of Oviraptor in association with some of the first known fossilized dinosaur eggs (nest AMNH 6508), in the Djadokhta Formation. Los dinosaurios pertenecen al superorden Dinosauria (deinos 'terrible' y sauros 'lagarto' = lagartos terribles) y son el grupo de reptiles con ms xito, incluso ms que los mamferos. Protoceratops, pronounced pro-to-SER-uh-TOPS, (GreekFirst Horned Face) was a small prehistoric ceratopsian dinosaur of the ornithischian order that existed in the Late Cretaceous Period. If trapped in a specific situation (like danger or foraging), Protoceratops could have employed a rapid, facultative bipedalism. It had a sharp end and rough texture, which reflects that a rhamphotheca (horny beak) was present. The outlines of eggs and embryos indicates ellipsoid-shaped eggs in life with dimensions about 12cm (120mm) long and 6cm (60mm) wide. The team indicated that it is very likely that these were made by scavenging insects, however, relatively large borings (about 3cm (30mm) wide) in the ribs and scapulae of one Protoceratops specimen (MPC-D100/534) indicates that insects were not the only scavengers involved in the bone damage, but also mammals. [90] Other dinosaur members include the alvarezsaurid Linhenykus;[91] ankylosaurid Pinacosaurus mephistocephalus;[92][93] and closely related protoceratopsid Bagaceratops. c Walter Granger v W.K. [5][19], Protoceratops had leaf-shaped dentary and maxillary teeth that bore several denticles (serrations) on their respective edges. A horn-like structure was present over the nose, which varied from a single structure in P. andrewsi to a double, paired structure in P. hellenikorhinus. Other facies include alluvial (stream-deposited) and eolian (wind-deposited) sediments. 1/11 Properly Breathing House by H&P Architects. Both parietals were coossified (fused), creating a long ridge on the center of the frill. Lastly, he noted that both males and females had not significant disparity in body size, and that sexual maturity in Protoceratops could be recognised at the moment when males can be distinguished from females. Paleontologists uncovered this just-hatched Protoceratops in 1997 at Ukhaa Tolgod. Early members such as Psittacosaurus were small and bipedal. Its type species is P. montanus. Later members, including ceratopsids like Centrosaurus and Triceratops, became very large quadrupeds and . Sinoceratops is an extinct genus of ceratopsian dinosaur that lived in China during the Late Cretaceous around 72 million years ago. They are thought to have lived in highly sociable groups of mixed ages. An artist's rendition of a Protoceratops with a colorful neck frill. The genus Protoceratops includes two species: P. andrewsi and the larger P. hellenikorhinus. Before their burial, the deathmatch ended up on the ground with the Velociraptor lying on its back right under the Protoceratops. [103] Ukhaa Tolgod, a highly fossiliferous locality is also included in the Bayn Dzak member. P. andrewsi had a pair of cylindrical, blunt teeth near the tip of the upper jaw. Se ha dado con huevos pequeos y con una gran cantidad de fsiles, que abarcan desde especmenes jvenes . [47] The fossilized footprint associated with the specimen ZPAL Mg D-II/3 described by Niedwiedzki in 2012 indicates that Protoceratops was digitigrade, meaning that it walked with its toes supporting the body weight. The region of Mongolia and China, where many Protoceratops fossils are found, is rich in gold runoff from the neighboring mountains, lending some credence to the theory that these fossils were the basis of griffin myths. The femur (thighbone) was robust and had a rather rounded and pronounced greater trochanter, which was slightly recurved into the inner sides. [5][39], Protoceratops was in 1923 placed within the newly named family Protoceratopsidae as the representative species by Granger and Gregory. The specific name, kozlowskii, is in tribute to the Polish paleontologist Roman Kozowski. Lastly, the third group was characterized by a curved posterior border of the squamosal and a notorious rugose texture on the top surface of the parietal. Another proposal is that the Velociraptor was scavenging an already dead Protoceratops when it got buried and eventually killed by indeterminate circumstances. [125], Dodson in 1996 pointed out Greek writers began describing the griffin around 675 B.C., at the same time the Greeks first made contact with Scythian nomads. [78], Barsbold in 1974 shortly described the Fighting Dinosaurs specimen and discussed possible scenarios. A dinosaur habitat right next to rivers are floodplains. A large and thick ridge ran along the lateral surface of the dentary that connected the coronoid processa bony projection that extends upwards from the upper surface of the lower jaw behind the tooth rowand surangular. The first chevron was located at the union of the third and fourth caudals. The AMNH is the best place to see it in the Americas, with a tableaux of a couple at a nesting sight and a rather famous skull growth series along the wall next to it. [38] The limb elements of the skeleton of ZPAL Mg D-II/3 were described in 2019 by paleontologists Justyna Sowiak, Victor S. Tereshchenko and ucja Fostowicz-Frelik. Sometimes in old individuals the last dorsal vertebra was somewhat coosified to the first sacral. [37] However, although the initial perception was that the entire skin-like layer had been removed, photographs shared by Czepiski during the same year have revealed that the right side of the skull remains intact, retaining much of this layer and pending further analysis. At their upper region, the scapulae were wide. [80] Richard A. Thulborn in 1992 analyzed the different types of eggs and neststhe majority of them, in fact, elongatoolithidreferred to Protoceratops and their structure. At least 8 body fossils of Protoceratops present active teeth marks, which were interpreted as feeding traces. Such placement of the muscles may have helped to anchor the lower jaws, useful for feeding. [68], In 2011 during the description of Koreaceratops, Yuong-Nam Lee and colleagues found the above swimming hypotheses hard to prove based on the abundance of Protoceratops in eolian (wind-deposited) sediments that were deposited in prominent arid environments. tops) (/protosrtps/; from Greek proto-/- "first", cerat-/- "horn" and -ops/- "face", meaning "First Horned Face") is a genus of sheep-sized (1.8 m long) herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur, from the Upper Cretaceous Period (Campanian stage) of what is now Mongolia. According these differences, four groups were identified, concluding that individual variation was extended to the vertebral column of Protoceratops. Most fossils were in an excellent state of preservation with even sclerotic rings (delicate ocular bones) preserved in some specimens, quickly making Protoceratops one of the best-known dinosaurs from Asia. By this time, Protoceratops had become one of the most abundant dinosaurs of the region with more than 100 specimens known, including skulls and skeletons of multiple individuals at different growth stages. The articular was a smaller bone and had a concavity on its inner surface for the articulation with the quadrate. [39] Tereshchenko in 2021 fully described the axial skeleton of this specimen.[40]. The growing embryos therefore relied on external heat and parental care. Chevrons three to nine were the largest and from the tenth onwards they became smaller. Protoceratops Pronunciation: pro-toe-ker-ah-tops Name meaning: 'first horned face' Type of dinosaur: ceratopsian Length: 1.8m Weight: 400kg. Protoceratops Protoceratops ("Before the horned-faces") is well known from numerous skeletons, ranging from young animals to adults. The tail was long and had an enigmatic sail-like structure, which may have been used for display, swimming, or metabolic reasons. To accommodate this equipment, the skull of Protoceratops was almost comically large compared to the rest of its body, giving it a distinctly "top . [68] In addition, the high occurrence of protoceratopsid fossils in arid-deposited formations indicates that these ceratopsians preferred warm environments. [2][5], After spending much of 1924 making plans for the next fieldwork seasons, in 1925 Andrews and team explored the Flaming Cliffs yet again. [8][9][10] Since its discovery, the Tugriken Shireh locality has yielded some of the most significant specimens of Protoceratops, such as the Fighting Dinosaurs,[8] in situ individualsa preservation condition also known as "standing" individuals or specimens in some cases,[11] authentic nests,[12] and small herd-like groups. The jugal bones also showed a trend towards an increase in relative size. He explained that the presence of this Bagaceratops specimen in such unusual locality could be solved by: (1) the coexistence and sympatric (altogether) evolution of both Bagaceratops and Protoceratops at this one locality; (2) the rise of B. rozhdestvenskyi in a different region and eventual migration to Udyn Sayr; (3) hybridization between the two protoceratopsids given the near placement of both Bayan Mandahu and Djadokhta; (4) anagenetic (proggressive evolution) evolutionary transition from P. andrewsi to B. rozhdestvenskyi. Because Protoceratops is considered to have been a herding animal, another hypothesis is that members of a herd tried to pull out the already buried Protoceratops, causing the joint dislocation of limbs. The team concluded that the frill of Protoceratops can be characterized by these ontogenetic changes. [63], Tereschenko in 2018 examined the cervical vertebrae series of six P. andrewsi specimens. In its general form, the forelimbs of Protoceratops were shorted than the hindlimbs, and composed by the humerus, radius, and ulna. The dentary (teeth-bearing bone) was robust, deep, slightly recurved, and fused to the angular and surangular. Even though their respective skull anatomy had substantial differences, their postcranial skeleton was virtually the same. [65], In 1996 Tereshchenko reconstructed the walking model of Protoceratops where he considered the most likely scenario to be Protoceratops as an obligate quadruped given the proportions of its limbs. Such lineage was suggested to have started from the primitive ceratopsian Psittacosaurus. The team however, was not able to produce deeper analysis regarding sexual dimorphism in P. hellenikorhinus due to the lack of complete specimens. The manus (hand) of Protoceratops had five digits (fingers). [28] The description of the eggshell of Protoceratopsidovum has further confirmed that they in fact belong to a maniraptoran, possibly deinonychosaur taxon. It is estimated that at the end of the Campanian age and into the Maastrichtian the climate would shift to the more mesic (humid/wet) conditions seen in the Nemegt Formation. The holotype (IMM 95BM1/1) and paratype (IMM 96BM1/4) specimens consist of large skulls lacking body remains. A Dinosaur's Pterosaur Lunch. The ilium was a large element, having a narrow preacetabular process (anterior end) and a wide postacetabular process (posterior end). [66], Upon the analysis of the forelimbs of several ceratopsians, Phil Senter in 2007 suggested that the hands of Protoceratops could reach the ground when the hindlimbs were upright, and the overall forelimb morphology and range of motion may reflect that it was at least a facultative (optional) quadruped. They also named the new genus and species of protoceratopsid Bagaceratops rozhdestvenskyi, known from specimens of the nearby Hermiin Tsav locality. [79], In 1989, Walter P. Coombs concluded that crocodilians, ratite and megapode birds were suitable modern analogs for dinosaur nesting behavior. Its average size was about 1.8 meters long and 1 meters high 3. Classification: Stegosaur, Thyreophoran. Fact or Fiction. He considered a swimming adaptation unlikely given the arid settings of the Djadokhta Formation. They were characterized by a proportionally large skull, short and stiff neck, and neck frill. It was subsequently analyzed by the paleontologist Walter W. Granger who identified it as reptilian. I can happily report that the Wild Past Protoceratops w/ Nest is exquisite, excellent in detail and overall shape, with a pleasantly vibrant yet realistic color pattern. At first scientist thought this meant they were nocturnal (they came out at night). Based on these components, the paleoenvironments of the Djadokhta Formation are interpreted as having a hot, semiarid climate with large dune fields/sand dunes and several short-lived water bodies, similar to the modern Gobi Desert. The capitular facet (attachment site for chevrons; also known as cervical ribs) was formed by a low projection located near the base of the neural arch. On its upper region a concavity was developed for the joint with the smaller fibula. Protoceratops was a small dinosaur that ate plants. It had an elongated shaft with a somewhat wide lower end. andrewsi. [5], The pectoral girdle of Protoceratops was formed by the scapulocoracoid (fusion of the coracoid and scapula) and clavicle. Information about the Protoceratop's habitat is limited to fossils found by paleontologists. The jaw morphology of Protoceratopsmore suitable for processing plant materialand its extreme abundance indicate it was not a predator, so if it was a diurnal animal, then it would have been expected to have a much smaller sclerotic ring size. This clutch comprises at least 12 eggs and embryos with only 6 embryos preserving nearly complete skeletons. Like the neighbouring Bayn Dzak, this new locality contained an abundance of Protoceratops fossils. At least two individuals within this block are preserved with their arms at a level above the legs, suggestive of attempts of trying to move upwards with the purpose of free themselves. 6. They also considered possible that populations of Velociraptor were aware of crouching behaviors in Protoceratops during high-energy sandstorms and used it for successful hunts. [68], In 2019 Victoria M. Arbour and David C. Evans cited the robusticity of the ulna of Ferrisaurus as a useful feature for digging, which may have been also true for Protoceratops. ; Justina Machado as Zee: A striped polecat who was a former member of Buck's superhero team. With their "Properly Breathing House" in a suburban area just 15 kilometers from the center of Hanoi, Vietnamese architecture firm H&P Architects . [32], Jack Bowman Bailey in 1997 disagreed with previous aquatic hypotheses and indicated that the high caudal neural spines were instead more reminiscent of bulbous tails of some desert lizard species (such as Heloderma or Uromastyx), which are related to store fat with metabolic water in the tail. Given that soft-shelled eggs are more vulnerable to deshydratation and crushing, Protoceratops may have buried its eggs in moisturized sand or soil. At their lower region, the scapulae meet the coracoids. El Protoceratops fue de alguna forma el primer ceratopsiano real. [61], Brown and Schlaikjer in 1940 upon their large description and revision of Protoceratops remarked that the orbits, frontals, and lacrimals suffered a shrinkage in relative size as the animal aged; the top border of the nostrils became more vertical; the nasal bones progressively became elongated and narrowed; and the neck frill as a whole also increases in size with age.