[82], In 2010 David Hone with team reported a new interaction between Velociraptor and Protoceratops based on tooth marks. Quick facts about Protoceratops: Existed from 145 million years ago to 66 million years ago; Lived in a terrestrial habitat; Was a herbivore [5], The pectoral girdle of Protoceratops was formed by the scapulocoracoid (fusion of the coracoid and scapula) and clavicle. He also regarded Protoceratops as one of the first "frilled" ceratopsians to appear in the fossil record. [39], Longrich in 2010 proposed that Protoceratops may have used its hindlimbs to dig burrows or take shelter under bushes and/or scrapes in order to escape the hottest temperatures of the day. Protoceratops is a dinosaur which lived around 71 million years ago during the end of the Mesozoic Period. [72], Tereschhenko in 2013 examined the structure of the caudal vertebrae spines of Protoceratops, concluding that it had adaptations for terrestrial and aquatic habits. [5] In 2001 Lambert and colleagues considered the development of the two nasal "horns" of P. hellenikorhinus to be a trait that was delayed in relation to the appearance of sexual-discriminant traits. 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. [22] The authors Brenda J. Chinnery and Jhon R. Horner in 2007 during their description of Cerasinops stated that Bainoceratops, along with other dubious genera, was determined to be either a variant or immature specimen of other genera. Velociraptor, facts and photos. Like Protoceratops, Montanoceratops and similar horned dinosaurs, Koreaceratops had a series of exceptionally long neural spines sticking up from its tail vertebrae which get progressively longer . The radius had a slightly recurved shape and was longer than the ulna. [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. Behind the eye was a slightly smaller fenestra known as the infratemporal fenestra, formed by the curves of the jugal and squamosal. The first block (MPC-D 100/526) comprises four juvenile individuals in close proximity with their heads pointing upwards, and the second block (MPC-D 100/534) is composed of two sub-adults with a horizontal orientation. The habitat for a Protoceratops was originally thought to be swamps and forests. Lee and colleagues concluded that even though the tail morphology of Koreaceratopsand other basal ceratopsiansdoes not argues against swimming habits, the cited evidence for it is insufficient. The missing limbs of the Protoceratops were afterwards taken by scavengers. At least 8 body fossils of Protoceratops present active teeth marks, which were interpreted as feeding traces. The dominant lithology is reddish-brown, poorly cemented, fine grained sandstone with some conglomerate, and caliche. [36] In 2022 Phil R. Bell and colleagues briefly described these potential soft tissues based on the photographs provided by Brown and Schlaikjer, as well as other ceratopsian soft tissues. The palpebral (small spur-like bone) joined the prefrontal over the front of the orbit (eye socket). Its type species is P. montanus. Protoceratops Shared its Habitat with Oviraptor. The centra were heterocoelous (saddle-shaped at both facets). Witton goes on to point out that the wings of traditional griffins are positioned above the shoulder blades, not behind the neck as the frills of Protoceratops, that the bodies of griffins much more closely resemble the bodies of modern big cats than they do those of Protoceratops, and that the gold deposits of central Asia occur hundreds of kilometers from the known Protoceratops fossil remains, among many other inconsistencies. ; Justina Machado as Zee: A striped polecat who was a former member of Buck's superhero team. Preservational bias has been largely ruled out, it is therefore likely that Protoceratops was common in this habitat. The last openings of the skull were two parietal fenestrae (holes in the frill). Despite maintaining the skull morphology of most Protoceratops specimens (such as premaxillary teeth), the neck frill in this population was straighter with a near triangular shape. . However, the discovery of Protoceratops' eggs fossilised in sandy pits in desert areas of China and Mongolia proved that theory wrong. Protoceratops andrewsi. (Cretaceous, Campanian), Mongolia", "Insect Trace Fossils Associated with Protoceratops Carcasses in the Djadokhta Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Mongolia: Forensic Entomology in the Upper Cretaceous", "Trace fossils on dinosaur bones from Upper Cretaceous eolian deposits in Mongolia: Taphonomic interpretation of paleoecosystems in ancient desert environments", "Trace fossils on dinosaur skeletons from the Upper Cretaceous of Gobi desert, Mongolia", "Why Protoceratops almost certainly wasn't the inspiration for the griffin legend", Footage from the Third Central Asiatic Expedition, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Protoceratops&oldid=1139818722, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 01:55. [5][39], The pelvic girdle was formed by the ilium, pubis, and ischium. Protoceratops was a herbivore, living in the late Cretaceous of China and Mongolia. The manus (hand) of Protoceratops had five digits (fingers). The average weight of the dinosaur was 400kg (900 pounds) 4. . Mesopic (cathemeral) animalswhich are irregularly active throughout the day and nightare between these two ranges. 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. 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. They interpreted the damaged areas in the Protoceratops specimen as product of active feeding by burrowing arthropods, most likely insects. Additionally, Longrich suggested that a backward burrowing could explain the preservation of some specimens pointing forward with curved tails. The epijugal (tip region of the jugal) was separated from the jugal by a prominent suture; this suture was more noticeable in adults. [78], In 2020 nevertheless, Andrew C. Knapp and team conducted morphometric analyses of a large sample of P. andrewsi specimens, primarily confluding that the neck frill of Protoceratops has no indicators or evidence for being sexually dimorphic. Had a body mass of approximately 177 kg. In P. hellenikorhinus the palpebral protruded upwards from the prefrontal, just above the orbit and slightly meeting the frontal, creating a small horn-like structure. [59], In 2009 Kyo Tanque and team suggested that basal ceratopsians, such as protoceratopsids, were most likely low browsers due to their relatively small body size. What kind of habitat did Protoceratops live in? The most famous desert of the Mesozoic Era, the Gobi of central Asia, was inhabited by three very familiar dinosaursProtoceratops, Oviraptor, and Velociraptor.In fact, the entwined fossils of a Protoceratops locked in combat with a Velociraptor were preserved by a . [124], In 1993 the Folklorist and historian of science Adrienne Mayor of Stanford University suggested that the exquisitely preserved fossil skeletons of Protoceratops, Psittacosaurus and other beaked dinosaurs, found by ancient Scythian nomads who mined gold in the Tian Shan and Altai Mountains of Central Asia, may have been at the root of the image of the mythical creature known as the griffin. Protoceratops c dim xp np ln c, c th phc v nh l tm bo v c, ni duy tr cc c quai hm, e da cc loi khc, hoc t hp ca cc chc nng ny. [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. On September 2, the photographer James B. Shackelford discovered a partial juvenile skullwhich would become the holotype specimen (AMNH 6251) of Protoceratopsin reddish sandstones. Story. Oviraptor eating Protoceratops's eggs. This ootaxon was firmly stated as belonging to protoceratopsid dinosaurs since they were the predominant dinosaurs where the eggs were found and some skeletons of Protoceratops were found in close proximity to Protoceratopsidovum eggs. The pupae found in this Protoceratops individual were reported as measuring as much a 2.5cm (25mm) long and 1cm (10mm) wide and compare best with pupae attributed to solitary wasps. In total, 40 skull characters were measured and compared, including regions like the frill and nasal horn. The maxillary teeth of ceratopsians were usually packed into a dental battery that formed vertical shearing blades which probably chopped the leaves. In 1900 Henry Fairfield Osborn suggested that Central Asia may have been the center of origin of most animal species, including humans, which caught the attention of explorer and zoologist Roy Chapman Andrews. When the type fossil of Oviraptor was unearthed, in 1923, it was sitting atop a clutch of fossilized eggsprompting the theory that it had just raided a Protoceratops nest. The first metatarsal and toe were the smallest, while the other elements were of similar shape and length. Preserved traces were reported as pits, notches, borings, and tunnels, which they attributed to scavengers. [33], In 1995 David M. Unwin and colleagues cast doubt on previous explanations especially a scavenging hypothesis as there were numerous indications of a concurrent death event. The phylogenetic analysis performed by the team recovered both protoceratopsids as sister taxa, indicating that Bagaceratops and Protoceratops were anatomically and systematically related. As some individuals are closely appressed along the well-defined margin of the nest, it may have had a circular or semi-circular shapeas previously hypothetizedwith a diameter of 70cm (700mm). In this formation, P. hellenikorhinus is the representative species, and it shared its paleoenvironment with numerous dinosaurs such as dromaeosaurids Linheraptor and Velociraptor osmolskae;[87][88] oviraptorids Machairasaurus and Wulatelong;[55][89] and troodontids Linhevenator, Papiliovenator, and Philovenator. The anterior facet of the atlas centrum was highly concave for the articulation of the occipital condyle of the skull. It actually reminds me quite a bit of the standalone Mini Carnegie Protoceratops I . He suggested another scenario where the multiple wounds delivered by the Velociraptor on the Protoceratops throat had the latter animal bleeding to death. The squamosal touched the jugal (cheekbone) and was very enlarged and high having a curved end that built the borders of the frill. 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. Protoceratops is largely known from both members, having P. andrewsi as a dominant and representative species in the overall formation. However, such strategies are most effective when the taxon is rare in the overall environment, opposed to Protoceratops which appears to be an extremely abundant and medium-sized dinosaur. [26], However, also during 1994, Norell and colleagues reported and briefly described a fossilized theropod embryo inside an egg (MPC-D 100/971) from the Djadokhta Formation. However, now [] Given that soft-shelled eggs are more vulnerable to deshydratation and crushing, Protoceratops may have buried its eggs in moisturized sand or soil. Most of the individuals within the nest had nearly the same age, size and growth, suggesting that they belonged to a single nest, rather than an aggregate of individuals. [78], Barsbold in 1974 shortly described the Fighting Dinosaurs specimen and discussed possible scenarios. The fusion of the vertebrae was likely a product of disease or external damage. The first five cervical ribs (sometimes called chevrons) were some of the shortest ribs, and among them the first two were longer than the rest. [5], The potential importance of these remains were not recognized and given attention, and by 2020 the specimen has already been completely prepared losing all traces of this skin-like layer. To accommodate this equipment, the skull of Protoceratops was almost comically large compared to the rest of its body, giving it a distinctly "top . [5][44][45], The vertebral column of Protoceratops had 9 cervical (neck), 12 dorsal (back), 8 sacral (pelvic) and over 40 caudal (tail) vertebrae. 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They appear to have cared for their young. They also observed that the maximum or latest stage of development of the neck frill and nasal horn occurred in the oldest Protoceratops individuals, indicating that such traits were ontogenically variable (meaning that they varied with age). Based on comparisons with other ornithischian dinosaurs such as Maiasaura and Orodromeusknown from more complete nestsThulborn concluded that most depictions of Protoceratops nests were based on incompletely preserved clutches and mostly on type A eggs, which were more likely to have been laid by an ornithopod. The articular was a smaller bone and had a concavity on its inner surface for the articulation with the quadrate. Fact or Fiction. [103] Ukhaa Tolgod, a highly fossiliferous locality is also included in the Bayn Dzak member. The frill was likely used for display or intraspecific combat, as well as protection of the neck and anchoring of jaw muscles. Individuals with a high nasal horn, massive prefrontals, and frontoparietal depression were tentatively determined as males. A dinosaur habitat right next to rivers are floodplains.