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University of Wyoming

Triceratops

Wyoming's State Dinosaur

Geological Time: 75 to 65 million years ago (Late Cretaceous)

Geographic Range: Alberta, Colorado, Montana, South Dakota,

Saskatchewan, Wyoming, North Dakota

Adult Size: 5 to 10 tons

Length: About 30 ft (10 m)

Habitat: Open plains and savannas

Diet: Plants, including cycads and palm fronds
 

Characteristics: Triceratops was one of the common dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous. Its most prominent features are on its head: three horns (two on the forehead and one on the nose) and a bony frill. Fossil evidence supports the idea that this head armor was used in display and ritualized combat within its own species. It may have also served to deter predators.

Triceratops had teeth that are elongated blades, not very suitable for crushing or grinding vegetation like the teeth of some other dinosaurs like the hadrosaurs. Jaw movement was such that its teeth sheared tough plant fibers.

There are about ten recognized species of Triceratops, each distinguished by size and body proportions. Knowing more about juveniles and differences between the sexes might allow paleontologists to narrow this down to fewer valid species.

Triceratops his the official state dinosaur of Wyoming. Wyoming is the only state that has both a state dinosaur and a state fossil (Knightia, a fish).

tripost1.JPG (22738 bytes)
Copies of the Triceratops poster are available from the Wyoming Geological Survey, located east of the Geological Museum on the UW campus.

TRICERATOPS (pronounced "try-sair-uh-tops"), designated the Wyoming State Dinosaur in 1995, roamed throughout Wyoming and North America about 75 million years ago. Named for its three large facial horns (Triceratops means literally "three-horned face"), Triceratops was a plant-eating dinosaur that may have traveled in herds, feeding on the lush vegetation that existed at the time. The animal may have attained a weight of 6 tons and a length of about 30 feet. (Reproduced from a painting by Phyllis A Ranz, 1995)

State Dinosaur Featured in Geological Museum Display

An exhibit featuring the official state dinosaur, the Triceratops, is on display at the University of Wyoming Geological Museum.

The exhibit includes a 7-foot long skull of the plant-eater that roamed Wyoming and the region 65-70 million years ago, as well as original artwork for a color poster of the dinosaur, produced in cooperation between the Wyoming Geological Survey and the museum.

The Triceratops was named the state's official dinosaur in June 1994 following legislation providing for a contest and election by Wyoming elementary school children. It was chosen over three other candidates.triclass.jpg (39307 bytes)

One of the most common dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous Period, the Triceratops is known for the three prominent horns on its head.

"Fossil evidence supports the idea that this head armor was used in display and ritualized combat within its own species," says Brent Breithaupt, UW Geological Museum director. "It may also have served to deter predators."

One of the predators a Triceratops defended itself against was the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex. A skull of this large carnosaur also is on display at the UW Geological Museum.

Copies of the Triceratops poster are available from the Wyoming Geological Survey, located east of the Geological Museum on the UW campus.

For more information about the Triceratops display and other exhibits at the UW Geological Museum, call Breithaupt at (307) 766-2646.

rexhead3.JPG (2355 bytes)Back to the UW Geological Museum tour