This resulted in the interpretation of the contemporary Oviraptor as an egg predatory animal, an interpretation also reflected in its generic name. [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. 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. The diameter of the feeding traces preserved on a Protoceratops skull from Bayn Dzak was bigger than traces reported among other specimens, indicating that the scavengers responsible for these traces were notoriously different from other trace makers preserved on specimens. In birds, a medium-sized sclerotic ring indicates that the animal is a predator, a large sclerotic ring indicates that it is nocturnal, and the largest ring size indicates it is an active nocturnal predator. Protoceratops is a sheep-sized, herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. The manus (hand) of Protoceratops had five digits (fingers). It was formally described in 2010, though it appeared as an informal designation (nomen nudum . 'first horned face') is a genus of small protoceratopsid dinosaurs that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous, around 75 to 71 million years ago.The genus Protoceratops includes two species: P. andrewsi and the larger P. hellenikorhinus.The former was described in 1923 with fossils from the Mongolian Djadokhta Formation, and the . 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. 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 jugal bones also showed a trend towards an increase in relative size. Even though adult Protoceratops were stocky and quadruped, their tibia-femur length ratiothe tibia being longer than femur, a trait present in bipedal ceratopsianssuggests the ability to occasionally stand on their hindlimbs. 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. Judging off diet, speculated fat placement and habitat protoceratops would most . Much in contrast to the Fighting Dinosaurs specimen, the tooth marks are inferred to have been produced by the dromaeosaurid during late-stage carcass consumption either during scavenging or following a group kill. [35], In 2010 Nick Longrich examined the relatively large orbital ratio and sclerotic ring of Protoceratops, which he suggested as evidence for a nocturnal lifestyle. The rear of the skull gave form to a pronounced neck frill (also known as "parietal frill") mostly composed of the parietal and squamosal bones. [64], In 2018 paleontologists ucja Fostowicz-Frelik and Justyna Sowiak studied the bone histology of several specimens of P. andrewsi through cross-sections, in order to analyze the growth changes in this dinosaur. The absence of these traits in mature individuals indicates that young Protoceratops were capable of facultative bipedal locomotion and adults had an obligate quadrupedal stance. [15] Though Breviceratops has been regarded as a synonym and juvenile stage of Bagaceratops,[16][17] ukasz Czepiski in 2019 concluded that the former has enough anatomical differences to be considered as a separate taxon. 8. Two other groups were found at the Tugriken Shireh locality; one group containing six individuals and another group of about 12 skeletons. Unlike dentary and maxillary teeth, the premaxillary dentition was devoid of denticles, having a relatively smooth surface. Simon Pegg as Buckminster "Buck" Wild: A one-eyed weasel and dinosaur hunter. 37 different specimens have been found by paleontologists. Observations made found that the high number of caudal vertebrae may have been useful for swimming and use the tail to counter-balance weight. Below are the proposed relationships among Protoceratopsidae by Czepiski:[18], In 2019 Bitnara Kim and colleagues described a relatively well-preserved Bagaceratops skeleton from the Barun Goyot Formation, noting numerous similarities with Protoceratops. The team stated that feeding by Velociraptor upon Protoceratops was probably a relatively common occurrence in these environments, and that this ceratopsian actively formed part of the diet of Velociraptor. [63], Tereschenko in 2018 examined the cervical vertebrae series of six P. andrewsi specimens. [14], Protoceratopsid remains were recovered in the 1970s from the Khulsan locality of the Barun Goyot Formation, Mongolia, during the work of several Polish-Mongolian paleontological expeditions. The researchers analyzed new, embryo-bearing egg fossils ascribed to the dinosaurs Protoceratops and Mussaurus. The triceratops was squat and powerfully built, around the size of an elephant. The forelimbs of Protoceratops could sprawl laterally but not for quadrupedal locomotion, which was accomplished with the elbows tucked in. As a whole, the skull had four pairs of fenestrae (skull openings). While Oviraptor and Protoceratops did coexist in late Cretaceous central Asia, it turns out that this supposed "egg thief" got a bad rapit was . The feet were wide and had four toes with flattened, shovel-like unguals, which would have been useful for digging through the sand. For instance, the Protoceratops has a semi-erect stance and its skull is nearly horizontal, which could have not been possible if the animal was already dead. If this dinosaur had grown to adulthood, it would have developed a neck frill, too. 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. Like other ceratops, lived in a terrestrial habitat. The last openings of the skull were two parietal fenestrae (holes in the frill). It has been examined and studied by numerous researchers and paleontologists, debating on how the animals got buried and preserved altogether. This footprint was described in 2012 by Grzegorz Niedwiedzki and colleagues who considered it to represent one of the first reported finds of a dinosaur footprint in association with an articulated skeleton, and also the first one reported for Protoceratops. The surfaces around the epijugal were coarse, indicating that it was covered by a horny sheath. Its average size was about 1.8 meters long and 1 meters high 3. They identified Protoceratops as an ornithischian dinosaur closely related to ceratopsians representing a possible common ancestor between ankylosaurs and ceratopsians. During burial, the animals were most likely not completely restricted in their movements at all, given that the individuals of MPC-D 100/526 are in relatively normal life positions and have not been disturbed. 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. Such traits were regarded as representing male P. hellenikorhinus. [123], In 2011 Fastovsky with colleagues concluded that the juveniles within the nest MPC-D 100/530 were rapidly overwhelmed by a strong sand-bearing event and entombed alive. bored dinosaur skeletons and associated pupae from the Djadokhta Fm. 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. The teeth were packed into a single row that created a shearing surface. Protoceratops Shared its Habitat with Oviraptor. The second premaxillary tooth was larger than the first one. 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. The lacrimal was a near-rectangular bone located in front of the orbit, contributing to the shape of the latter. A group of five medium-sized and adult Protoceratops was observed at the Bayan Mandahu locality. [11][86], The paleofauna of Bayan Mandahu is very similar in composition to the nearby Djadokhta Formation, with both formations sharing several of the same genera, but differing in the exact species. To accommodate this equipment, the skull of Protoceratops was almost comically large compared to the rest of its body, giving it a distinctly "top . Their results found that herbivorous dinosaurs mainly followed two distinct modes of feeding, either processing food in the gutcharacterized by relatively gracile skulls and low bite forcesor the mouth, which was characterized by features associated with extensive processing such as high bite forces and robust jaw musculature. Most notably, the team discovered the first fossilized dinosaur eggs near the holotype of Oviraptor and given how abundant Protoceratops was, the nest was attributed to this taxon. [5][19], Protoceratops had leaf-shaped dentary and maxillary teeth that bore several denticles (serrations) on their respective edges. What kind of habitat did Protoceratops live in? Protoceratops is a common find in the Flaming Cliffs formation, which it shared with other Dinosaurs like Velociraptor and Oviraptor. The team concluded that the frill of Protoceratops can be characterized by these ontogenetic changes. Handa and team in addition found variation across this Udyn Sayr sample and classified them in three groups. The neck was rather short and had poor flexibility. [99] and its dinosaur paleofauna is composed of alvarezsaurids Kol and Shuvuuia;[104][105] ankylosaurid Minotaurasaurus;[106] birds Apsaravis and Gobipteryx;[107][108] dromaeosaurid Tsaagan;[109] oviraptorids Citipati and Khaan;[110] troodontids Almas and Byronosaurus;[111][112] and a new, unnamed protoceratopsid closely related to Protoceratops. A green oasis has popped up in Hanoi, a city choked by smog. P. andrewsi had a pair of cylindrical, blunt teeth near the tip of the upper jaw. Mesopic (cathemeral) animalswhich are irregularly active throughout the day and nightare between these two ranges. 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). 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. The palpebral (small spur-like bone) joined the prefrontal over the front of the orbit (eye socket). Brown and Schlaikjer discarded the idea of possible skin impressions as this skin-like layer was likely a product of the decay and burial of the individual, making the sediments become highly attached to the skull. The specific name, hellenikorhinus, is derived from Greek hellenikos (meaning Greek) and rhis (meaning nose) in reference to its broad and angular snout, which is reminiscent of the straight profiles of Greek sculptures. Protoceratops is an upcoming ceratopsian coming to The Isle. Protoceratops andrewsi. After emerging from the eggs, larvae would have fed on the carcass prior to pupating. Protoceratops Pronunciation: pro-toe-ker-ah-tops Name meaning: 'first horned face' Type of dinosaur: ceratopsian Length: 1.8m Weight: 400kg. 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. During the death struggle a large dune may have collapsed simultaneously burying both Protoceratops and Velociraptor. He proposed that protoceratopsids moved through water using their laterally-flattened tails as a paddle to aid in swimming. andrewsi. [31], The Fighting Dinosaurs specimen preserves a Protoceratops (MPC-D 100/512) and Velociraptor (MPC-D 100/25) fossilized in combat and provides an important window regarding direct evidence of predator-prey behavior in non-avian dinosaurs. Protoceratops Protoceratops ("Before the horned-faces") is well known from numerous skeletons, ranging from young animals to adults. 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. [60], David J. Button and Lindsay E. Zanno in 2019 performed a large phylogenetic analysis based on skull biomechanical charactersprovided by 160 Mesozoic dinosaur speciesto analyze the multiple emergences of herbivory among non-avian dinosaurs. The nest of Protoceratops would have been excavated with the hindlimbs and was built in a mound-like, crater-shaped center structure with the eggs arranged in semicircular fashion. Protoceratops was a herbivore. [30] Norell with colleagues in 2020 examined fossilized remains around the eggs of this clutch which indicate a soft-shelled composition. On its upper region a concavity was developed for the joint with the smaller fibula. Protoceratops was discovered in 1922 . The first chevron was located at the union of the third and fourth caudals. [55], In 2020, Czepiski analyzed several long-undescribed protoceratopsid specimens from the Udyn Sayr and Zamyn Khondt localities of the Djadokhta Formation. [70], In 2008, based on the occurrence of some Protoceratops specimens in fluvial (river-deposited) sediments from the Djadokhta Formation and heterocoelous (vertebral centra that are saddle-shaped at both ends) caudal vertebrae of protoceratopsids, Tereshchenko concluded that the elevated caudal spines are a swimming adaptation. While Oviraptor and Protoceratops did, in fact, coexist in late Cretaceous . [67] In 2010 Alexander Kuznetsov and Tereshchenko analyzed several vertebrae series of Protoceratops in order to estimate overall mobility, and concluded that Protoceratops had greater lateral mobility in the presacral (pre-hip) vertebrae series and reduced vertical mobility in the cervical (neck) region. Kosmoceratops is a dinosaur that was discovered in Utah in the United States. The forward facing and closely located orbits combined with a narrow snout, gave Protoceratops a well-developed binocular vision. The examined fossil bones indicated that Protoceratops slowed its ontogeny (growth) around 910 years of life, and it ceased around 1113 years. In the 2000s during the preparation of the specimen, a fossilized cast of a four-toed digitigrade footprint was found below the pelvic girdle. Like its larger and geologically younger relative Triceratops, this herbivore also had a bony . 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. [73], Peter Dodson in 1996 used anatomical characters of the skull in P. andrewsi in order to quantify areas subject to ontogenic changes and sexual dimorphism. [79], In 1989, Walter P. Coombs concluded that crocodilians, ratite and megapode birds were suitable modern analogs for dinosaur nesting behavior. Its name means "ornate horned face" - so named because of all of the horns it contained on its head and face. Protoceratops var ett fyrfotat djur, ganska lik de mer vlknda ceratopsiderna, ssom Triceratops, Centrosaurus och Styracosaurus, men var mycket mindre; den mtte knappt 1,8 - 2 meter frn nos till svansspets, och hade ungefr samma kroppsstorlek som en tam gris eller ett fr. He cited the distinctive posture of some Protoceratops involving the body and head arched upwards with forelimbs tucked in at their sidesa condition known as "standing" in particular casesthe absence of sedimentary structures in sediments preserving the individuals, and the Fighting Dinosaurs taphonomic history itself as evidence for this catastrophic preservation. First group includes individuals with a well-developed bony ridge on the lateral surface of the squamosal bone, and the posterior border of the squamosal is backwards oriented. Type A eggs differed from type B eggs in having a pinched end. For instance, the block of four juveniles preserves the individuals with near-identical postures, spatial positions, and all of them have their heads facing upwards, which indicates that they were alive at the time of burial. [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. On the other hand, Hone and team argued that if neck frills were instead used for protective purposes, a large frill may have acted as an aposematic (warning) signal to predators. With their "Properly Breathing House" in a suburban area just 15 kilometers from the center of Hanoi, Vietnamese architecture firm H&P Architects . [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. Based on the size of its sclerotic ring, Protoceratops had an unusually large eyeball among protoceratopsids. [19], Makovicky and team in 2007 conducted a histological analysis on several specimens of Protoceratops from the American Museum of Natural History collections in order to provide insights into the life history of Protoceratops. Although the genera Gobiceratops, Lamaceratops, Magnirostris, and Platyceratops, were long considered valid and distinct taxa, and sometimes placed within Protoceratopsidae, Czepiski found the diagnostic (identifier) features used to distinguish these taxa to be largely present in Bagaceratops and thus becoming synonyms of this genus. The habitat seems to have been quite dry . The exact size and shape of the frill varied by individual; some had short, compact frills, while others had frills nearly half the length of the skull. The Protoceratops eggs are the first ever discovered for a horned dinosaur, while the Mussaurus eggs represent some of the earliest for a long-necked dinosaur. The holotype (IMM 95BM1/1) and paratype (IMM 96BM1/4) specimens consist of large skulls lacking body remains. Protoceratops pronunciation: Protoceratops can be read as, "pro-toe-ker-ah-tops". Griffins were described as guarding the gold deposits in the arid hills and red sandstone formations of the wilderness. Their neural spines were elongated and sub-rectangular in shape with a tendency to become more elongated in posterior vertebrae. Like the neighbouring Bayn Dzak, this new locality contained an abundance of Protoceratops fossils. Based on this reasoning, they excluded Bainoceratops from their phylogenetic analysis. [29], Nevertheless, in 2011 an authentic nest of Protoceratops was reported and described by David E. Fastovsky and colleagues. The coracoids were relatively elliptical, and sometimes coosified (fused) to the scapulae. [62], David Hone and colleagues in 2016 upon their analysis of P. andrewsi neck frills, found that the frill of Protoceratops was disproportionally smaller in juveniles, grew at a rapid rate than the rest of the animal during its ontogeny, and reached a considerable size only in large adult individuals. [90] Other dinosaur members include the alvarezsaurid Linhenykus;[91] ankylosaurid Pinacosaurus mephistocephalus;[92][93] and closely related protoceratopsid Bagaceratops. They stated that this layer had a very skin-like texture and covered mostly the left side of the skull from the snout to the neck frill. [24][3] In 1975, the Chinese paleontologist Zhao Zikui named the new oogenera Elongatoolithus and Macroolithus, including them in a new oofamily: the Elongatoolithidae. The maxilla was very deep and had up to 15 alveoli (tooth sockets) on its underside or teeth bearing surface. On its inner surface it was attached to the articular. These individuals were considered as females. The habitat for a Protoceratops was originally thought to be swamps and forests. The femur (thighbone) was robust and had a rather rounded and pronounced greater trochanter, which was slightly recurved into the inner sides. 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. 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. The first three fingers had unguals (claw bones) and were the largest digits. In its general form, the forelimbs of Protoceratops were shorted than the hindlimbs, and composed by the humerus, radius, and ulna. [13], In 2016 Meguru Takeuchi and team reported numerous fossilized feeding traces preserved on skeletons of Protoceratops from the Bayn Dzak, Tugriken Shireh, and Udyn Sayr localities, and also from other dinosaurs. It actually reminds me quite a bit of the standalone Mini Carnegie Protoceratops I . Since this event likely occurred after the death of both animals or during a point where movement was not possible, and the Protoceratops is missing other body elements, Barsbold suggested that scavengers were the most likely authors. [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. They laid soft-shelled eggs, a rare occurrence in dinosaurs. Quick facts about Protoceratops: Existed from 145 million years ago to 66 million years ago; Lived in a terrestrial habitat; Was a herbivore One specimen (MPC-D 100/551B) was shown to present skull traits that are intermediate between Bagaceratops rozhdestvenskyi (which is native to adjacent Bayan Mandahu and Barun Goyot) and P. andrewsi.