Protoceratops

Name: Protoceratops

Pronounced: Pro-toe-seh-rah-tops

Meaning: First horned face

Type: Ceratopsian

Length: 1.8 meters long

Diet: Herbivore

Period: Late Cretaceous

Years: 74-70 million years ago

Location: China, Mongolia

Description: Protoceratops is a genus of ceratopsian dinosaur that lived in what is now Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous period, about 75-71 million years ago. It was a relatively small ceratopsian, measuring about 6.5-9 feet long and weighing around 200-300 pounds. It had a short, triangular skull with a small, beak-like snout, and a large frill at the back of the skull. Protoceratops had a single row of small, pointed teeth in its upper jaw and a large, broad lower jaw. It also had a pair of small, triangular horns above its eyes, which may have been used for display or defense. Protoceratops was a herbivore, and it likely used its beak and powerful jaws to bite off and grind tough plant material. It is known from several well-preserved specimens, including several individuals found in close association, which suggests that it may have lived in social groups.

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