[1] Although not stated in the original description, the generic name, Protoceratops, is intended to mean "first horned face" as it was believed that Protoceratops represented an early ancestor of ceratopsids. [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 team also find that the growth rate of the femur increased at the subadult stage, suggesting changes in bone proportions, such as the elongation of the hindlimbs. On its inner surface it was attached to the articular. The last larvae to emerge would have feed on the dried tendons and cartilage in the joint areasthereby explaining the notorious poor preservation of these areas in the specimenand subsequently chewing on the bone itself, prior to pupating. Its type species is P. montanus. Mesopic (cathemeral) animalswhich are irregularly active throughout the day and nightare between these two ranges. According these differences, four groups were identified, concluding that individual variation was extended to the vertebral column of Protoceratops. Gregory miu t nm 1923, Protoceratops ban u c cho l t tin ca . The squamosal touched the jugal (cheekbone) and was very enlarged and high having a curved end that built the borders of the frill. He found 19 anatomical differences in the vertebral column and pelvic region of regarded male and female Protoceratops individuals, which he considered to represent actual sexual characters. [31], In 2018 Tereshchenko examined and described several articulated cervical vertebrae of P. andrewsi and reported the presence of two abnormally fused vertebrae (specimen PIN 3143/9). [13] Specimens from this locality are usually found in articulation, suggesting possible mass mortality events. 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. DEA PICTURE LIBRARY/Getty Images 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. Its skull was one of the largest of any land animal known to science and particularly big relative to the size of its body. The humerus (upper arm bone) was large and slender, and at the lower part it meet with both radius and ulna. This clutch comprises at least 12 eggs and embryos with only 6 embryos preserving nearly complete skeletons. [5][46][47][48], All vertebrae of Protoceratops had ribs attached on the lateral sides, except for the series of caudals. Below is the obtained cladogram, showing the position of Protoceratops and Bagaceratops:[54], Longrich and team in 2010 indicated that highly derived morphology of P. hellenikorhinuswhen compared to P. andrewsiindicates that this species may represent a lineage of Protoceratops that had a longer evolutionary history compared to P. andrewsi, or simply a direct descendant of P. andrewsi. The caudal vertebrae decreased in size progressively towards the end and had very elongated neural spines in the mid-series, forming a sail-like structure. The second premaxillary tooth was larger than the first one. 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. It is one of the oldest species of stegosaurs known and would have resembled Kentrosaurus in appearance. Protoceratops had large orbits, which measured around 5cm (50mm) in diameter and had irregular shapes depending on the individual. About the size of a large sheep, Protoceratops is a fairly common and well-studied species of dinosaur that would have lived in what is now Mongolia's Gobi Desert. The genus Protoceratops includes two species: P. andrewsi and the larger P. hellenikorhinus. The difference in morphologies between Protoceratops also suggests that the nearby Bayan Mandahu Formation is slightly younger than the Djadokhta Formation. 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. 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). Like its larger and geologically younger relative Triceratops, this herbivore also had a bony . The researchers focused on the mineral and chemical compositions of the . Protoceratops itself was considered by the authors to be somehow related to ankylosaurians based on skull traits, with a more intensified degree to Triceratops and relatives. The researchers analyzed new, embryo-bearing egg fossils ascribed to the dinosaurs Protoceratops and Mussaurus. [74], In 2001 Lambert and team upon the description of P. hellenikorhinus also noted variation within individuals. [33][34][35], During the Third Central Asiatic Expedition in 1923, a nearly complete Protoceratops skeleton (specimen AMNH 6418) was collected at the Flaming Cliffs. "It took up about a quarter of its whole body length, which is an unbelievably big skull," says Barrett. [76] A large and well-developed bony ridge on the parietal has been observed on another P. andrewsi specimen, MPC-D 100/551, also from Udyn Sayr. [12], In 2017 Gregory M. Erickson and colleagues determined the incubation periods of P. andrewsi and Hypacrosaurus by using lines of arrested growth (LAGS; lines of growth) of the teeth in embryonic specimens (Protoceratops egg clutch MPC-D 100/1021). 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. He also indicated that the anterior caudals were devoid of high neural spines and had increased mobilitya mobility that stars to decrease towards the high neural spines, which suggest that the tail could be largely raised from its base. The neural arch and spine of the axis were notably larger than the atlas itself and any other cervical. This find proved that the nest AMNH 6508 belonged to Oviraptor and rather than an egg-thief, the holotype was actually a mature individual that perished brooding the eggs. [13], Brown and Schlaikjer in 1940 upon their large analysis of Protoceratops noted the potential presence of sexual dimorphism among specimens in P. andrewsi, concluding that this condition could be entirely subjective or represent actual differences between sexes. Lastly, Schmitz and Motani concluded that ecological niche was a potential main driver in the development of daily activity. [90] Other dinosaur members include the alvarezsaurid Linhenykus;[91] ankylosaurid Pinacosaurus mephistocephalus;[92][93] and closely related protoceratopsid Bagaceratops. Both parietals were coossified (fused), creating a long ridge on the center of the frill. [12] Gregory M. Erickson and team in 2017 reported an embryo-bearing egg clutch (MPC-D 100/1021) of Protoceratops from the also fossiliferous Ukhaa Tolgod locality, discovered during paleontological expeditions of the American Museum of Natural History and Mongolian Academy of Sciences. Protoceratops Pronunciation: pro-toe-ker-ah-tops Name meaning: 'first horned face' Type of dinosaur: ceratopsian Length: 1.8m Weight: 400kg. The premaxilla had two alveoli on its lower edgea character that was present at least on P. andrewsi. [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. [21] In 2006 North American paleontologists Peter Makovicky and Mark A. Norell suggested that Bainoceratops may be synonymous with Protoceratops as most of the traits used to separate the former from the latter have been reported from other ceratopsians including Protoceratops itself, and they are more likely to fall within the wide intraspecific variation range of the concurring P. [121], In 2010 the paleontologists Yukihide Matsumoto and Mototaka Saneyoshi reported multiple borings and bite traces on joint areas of articulated Bagaceratops and Protoceratops specimens from the Tugriken Shireh locality of the Djadokhta Formation and Hermiin Tsav locality of the Barun Goyot Formation, respectively. ; Vincent Tong and Aaron Harris as Crash and Eddie, respectively: Twin prankster opossum . It was characterized by simple fibrolamellar bonebony tissue with an irregular, fibrous texture and filled with blood vesselswith prominent woven-fibered bone and low bone remodeling. The skull of the type species, P. andrewsi, had an average total length of nearly 50cm (500mm). [11], Fastovsky in 1997 examined the geology at Tugriken Shireh providing insights into the taphonomy of Protoceratops. Sometimes in old individuals the last dorsal vertebra was somewhat coosified to the first sacral. 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. Forms without the enormous horns and frills of Triceratops, in the family Protoceratopsidae, include the Mongolian genus Protoceratops and the unusual bipedal, frill-less dinosaur Psittacosaurus ("parrot-lizard"). [2] This would later result in the interpretation of Oviraptor as an egg-thief. [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. The holotype (IMM 95BM1/1) and paratype (IMM 96BM1/4) specimens consist of large skulls lacking body remains. Although it lacked the horns of later species, Protoceratops had a distinct bump above its nostrils and thickened bone over its eye sockets. It shared it's habitat with other dinosaurs like Therizinosaurus and Velociraptor. On the classification of dinosaur eggs", "Theropod and protoceratopsian dinosaur eggs from the Cretaceous of Mongolia and Kazakhstan", "A theropod dinosaur embryo and the affinities of the Flaming Cliffs Dinosaur eggs", "Phylogenetic analysis of reproductive traits of maniraptoran theropods and its implications for egg parataxonomy", "Dinosaur incubation periods directly determined from growth-line counts in embryonic teeth show reptilian-grade development", "The lost Protoceratops mummy - Addendum", "The exquisitely preserved integument of Psittacosaurus and the scaly skin of ceratopsian dinosaurs", "A protoceratopsid skeleton with an associated track from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia", "Appendicular skeleton of Protoceratops andrewsi (Dinosauria, Ornithischia): comparative morphology, ontogenetic changes, and the implications for non-ceratopsid ceratopsian locomotion", "Comparative anatomy of selected basal ceratopsian dentitions", "Key to Protoceratopoid Vertebrae (Ceratopsia, Dinosauria) from Mongolia", "A Method for Estimation of Lateral and Vertical Mobility of Platycoelous Vertebrae of Tetrapods", "Structural Features of Neural Spines of the Caudal Vertebrae of Protoceratopoids (Ornithischia: Neoceratopsia)", "A rationale for phylogenetic definitions, with application to the higher level taxonomy of Dinosauria", "Turanoceratops tardabilisthe first ceratopsid dinosaur from Asia", "Zuniceratops christopheri: The North American Ceratopsid Sister Taxon Reconstructed on the Basis of New Data", "A New Leptoceratopsid (Ornithischia, Ceratopsia) with a Unique Ischium from the Upper Cretaceous of Shandong Province, China", "The postcranial skeleton of Bagaceratops (Ornithischia: Neoceratopsia) from the Baruungoyot Formation (Upper Cretaceous) in Hermiin Tsav of southwestern Gobi, Mongolia", "A new oviraptorid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Bayan Mandahu, Inner Mongolia", "New protoceratopsid specimens improve the age correlation of the Upper Cretaceous Gobi Desert strata", "The Jaw Musculature in Protoceratops and in Other Ceratopsians", "The many myths, some old, some new, of dinosaurology", "Jaw Mechanics in Basal Ceratopsia (Ornithischia, Dinosauria)", "Repeated Evolution of Divergent Modes of Herbivory in Non-avian Dinosaurs", "Positive allometry for exaggerated structures in the ceratopsian dinosaur Protoceratops andrewsi supports socio-sexual signaling", "Morphological changes of Protoceratops andrewsi skull with ontogenetic processes", "Bone histology of Protoceratops andrewsi from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia and its biological implications", "A Reconstruction of the Locomotion of Protoceratops", "The Function of Large Eyes in Protoceratops: A Nocturnal Ceratopsian? The scapulae (shoulder blades) were relatively large and rounded on their inner sides. Coahuilaceratops fossils have been recovered from strata of the Late Cretaceous Period (Campanian), around 72 Ma (million years ago). An artist's rendition of a Protoceratops with a colorful neck frill. After burial, either Protoceratops herd or scavengers tore off the buried Protoceratops to the left and backwards, making both predator and prey to be slightly separated. At their upper region, the scapulae were wide. Protoceratops (/protosrtps/; lit. [97] Dominant sediments at Djadokhta include dominant reddish-orange and pale orange to light gray, medium to fine-grained sands and sandstones, caliche, and sparse fluvial (river-deposited) processes.
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