Worksheets Table of Contents

Triceratops Worksheets Table of contents

KIDSKONNECT.CO M TRICERATOPS FACTS

Triceratops is the most commonly recovered dinosaur in the uppermost Cretaceous deposits of western North America, and its remains have been found throughout the region.

BASIC FACTS

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Genus: †Triceratops Type Species: Triceratops horridus Clade: Dinosauria (Dinosaurs) Order: †Ornithischia (bird-hipped dinosaurs) Family: †Ceratopsidae (quadrupedal herbivores from the Upper Cretaceous)

SIZE AND APPEARANCE

● Triceratops were muscular and strong-limbed. They had short hands with three hooves each, and short feet with four hooves each. ● The head of Triceratops was among the biggest of all land animals, making up one-third of the entire length of its body.

KIDSKONNECT.CO M TRICERATOPS FACTS ● Paleontologists found a huge skull that has an estimated length of 8.2 feet (2.5 meters). Huge! ● Triceratops grew up to 30 feet (9 meters) and weighed over 11,000 lbs. (5,000 kg) — some large specimens found weighed nearly 15,750 lbs. (7,150 kg). ● Triceratops had three horns: two massive ones above its eyes, and a smaller horn on its snout. The two brow horns twisted and lengthened as a Triceratops aged. ● The hands and forearms of Triceratops retained a fairly primitive structure compared to other quadrupedal dinosaurs that walked with most of their fingers pointing out and away from the body. ● It was believed its horns were used for defense, especially against the great carnivore, Tyrannosaurus Rex. ● Another possibility is that the horns functioned primarily as display structures, perhaps for signaling relative maturity to other members of the group.

Triceratops are popularly shown engaging each other in combat with horns locked. REPRODUCTION and DEVELOPMENT

● Triceratops, like most dinosaurs, are believed to have laid eggs in small clutches in a nest which was guarded by the female until they were ready to hatch. ● A hatched Triceratops would soon grow into one of the greatest herbivores of all time. ● Theories suggest that the lifespan of the Triceratops was similar to that of mammals today. ● However, the Triceratops was a member of the reptile family and assumed to be cold blooded so their lifespan may be slightly different.

KIDSKONNECT.CO M TRICERATOPS FACTS

While these two animals (triceratops, left; rhinoceros, right) look similar, they are not in any way related with each other.

PALEOECOLOGY

● Triceratops roamed North America around 67 million to 65 million years ago, during the end of the Cretaceous Period. ● To date, more than 50 Triceratops skulls have been found in the Hell Creek Formation, according to Scannella's 2014 PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) study.

The Hell Creek Formation is an intensively-studied division of mostly Upper Cretaceous and some lower Paleocene rocks in North America, named for exposures studied along Hell Creek, near Jordan, Montana.

DIET ● Triceratops were herbivores. They possessed a beak and a massive amount of teeth. They may have eaten large amounts of tough, fibrous material. ● Triceratops teeth were arranged in groups called batteries, of 36 to 40 tooth columns in each side of each jaw, with 3 to 5 stacked teeth per column, enabling them to consume substantially. ● Their teeth, horn fragments, frill fragments, and other skull fragments during late Cretaceous (66 million years ago) define them as among the dominant herbivores of the time, if not the most dominant herbivore. ● Some evidence shows they lived in herds. Some remains excavated showed there may have been a family unit. KIDSKONNECT.CO M TRICERATOPS FACTS

MODERN APPRECIATION

Just by looking at the picture, you know that humans can be consumed in one gulp or get stomped easily. Good thing they were herbivores and are now extinct.

● Triceratops fossils are only found on the island continent of Laramidia, which is now present day Western North America. It shared this island continent with the T-Rex. ● Triceratops was originally mistaken for an overgrown bison during the initial findings. Subsequent discoveries from the area however, found that it was, in fact, a dinosaur. ● In 2010, confusion emerged after a paleontologist claimed the triceratops and torosaurus (a related dinosaur) were really one and the same. It was later proven otherwise. ● In 1889, a cattleman found a triceratops horn. He attempted to haul off his treasure by throwing a lasso over one of its horns, which promptly snapped off. ● A Triceratops "mummy" named Lane, with well-preserved skin impressions, shows Triceratops had scutes on its underside, scales on the rest of the body, and areas where quills may have protruded from the skin.

Lane the “mummy” is on display at The Houston Museum of Natural Science - the Hall of Paleontology at Houston, Texas.

● The amount of skin and how preserved Lane was is still a great discovery and provides more work for researchers. Safely tucked inside the museum, anyone is welcome to come and see the amazing displays they’ve created.

KIDSKONNECT.CO M THE THREE-HORNED NAME: BEAST ______Since paleontologists only found triceratops fossils, its true appearance remains a mystery. Artists have tried to depict their appearance as accurately as possible based on their skeletal structures. Look at the different depictions of triceratops below. In the box, how do you visualize the triceratops? Feel free to be creative!

By: Nobu Tamura By: Mark Hallett By: Dmitry Bogdanov

Use these fossil remains to be your guide

on drawing your own Triceratops.

KIDSKONNECT.CO M NAME:______DINO BUILT Dinosaurs are huge. Even though triceratops may not be the largest during its time, its presence today would still cause marvel among creatures!

Let’s discover this dinosaur’s anatomy and functions to understand how it survived despite several competitors and scary predators.

Length: Height: Weight: Diet:

KIDSKONNECT.CO M KEY ANSWER DINO BUILT Dinosaurs are huge. Even though triceratops may not be the largest during its time, its presence today would still cause marvel among creatures!

Let’s discover this dinosaur’s anatomy and functions to understand how it survived despite several competitors and scary predators.

B O N Y F R I L L S

Length: about 30 feet (9m) For neck protection and possibly Height: 9.5-9.8 ft (2.9-3m) to regulate body temperature Weight: 13,000-26,000 lbs H O R N S Diet: Plants, shrubs Usually used for protection and for combat and courtship display

B E A K

J A W

L E G S Jaws and beaks are used to uproot plants or believed to have been better at Powerful legs used to support grasping and plucking than biting. the massive body weight of Triceratops.

KIDSKONNECT.CO M NAME: ______OTHNIEL MARSH The man who discovered the Triceratops

At the height of the “Bone Wars,” Marsh was able to discover Triceratops’ remains. Who is Othniel Marsh?

What caused the “Bone Wars?” How did it end?

KIDSKONNECT.CO M NAME:______TIMES OF EXISTENCE Fossils of the Hell Creek Formation’s geologic time was Cretaceous. It formed in a delta with a warm and moist climate. Among the abundant dinosaurs found was the Triceratops. Color the dinosaurs that co-existed with the triceratops during the cretaceous period. Research helps!

Pteranodon

Dimetrodon

Tyrannosaurus Rex Plateosaurus

Edmontosaurus KIDSKONNECT.CO M KEY ANSWER TIMES OF EXISTENCE Fossils of the Hell Creek Formation’s geologic time was Cretaceous. It formed in a delta with a warm and moist climate. Among the abundant dinosaurs found was the Triceratops. Color the dinosaurs that co-existed with the triceratops during the cretaceous period. Research helps!

Pteranodon

Dimetrodon

Tyrannosaurus Rex Plateosaurus

Edmontosaurus KIDSKONNECT.CO M NAME: ______CRETACEOUS EXTINCTION

The Cretaceous extinction is best known of the “Big Five” because it was the end of all dinosaurs except birds. Along with the triceratops, these animals perished during the Cretaceous extinction. Fill in the blanks.

1.M _ _ _ S _ _ _ R _ S 1. 2._ M _ _ N _ _ E 3.EU _ _ _ _ CE _ _ _ LUS 2. 4.T _ AC _ _ _ _ N 5.SP _ _ _ _ AU_ US 3.

What was the cause of these dinosaurs’ extinction?

KIDSKONNECT.CO M KEY ANSWER CRETACEOUS EXTINCTION

1.MO S ASA URUS 1. 2. A M M O N I T E 3.EU O P L O CE P H A LUS 2. 4.T R AC H O D O N 5.SP I N O S AU R US 3.

What was the cause of these dinosaurs’ extinction?

The most recognized theory was the ancient impact crater in the 4. Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico that hit the earth causing mass extinction.

KIDSKONNECT.CO M NAME: ______TRICERA-CROSSWORD In 2008, a wealthy dinosaur fan purchased a specimen named Triceratops Cliff for $1 million and donated it to the Boston Museum of Science. Review your facts and complete the crossword puzzle based on the color of the font and the boxes. Enjoy!

Triceratops is the State Fossil of ______. Triceratops is the State Dinosaur of ______. This dinosaur roamed the earth until the end of ______period. The "horn" on the end of its snout was made from a soft protein called ____. Triceratops was discovered at “Hell ______Formation.” Triceratops are ______, they don’t eat meat. Its name is a combination of the Greek syllables tri-, meaning "three," kéras, meaning "_____," and ops, meaning "______."

KIDSKONNECT.CO M

KEY ANSWER TRICERA-CROSSWORD In 2008, a wealthy dinosaur fan purchased a specimen named Triceratops Cliff for $1 million and donated it to the Boston Museum of Science. Review your facts and complete the crossword puzzle based on the color of the font and the boxes. Enjoy!

KIDSKONNECT.CO M Name: ______TRICERA-WORD CREATOR Triceratops is a dinosaur. Dinosaur means "fearfully great lizard." It was coined by Sir Richard Owen in 1842.

Triceratops is a long word, so we can generate a few more words from it. Identify the picture, but make sure every letter is derived from the dino.

Triceratops Reports

Protect Rapiers

Critter Rotates

Attires Seaport

Tarsier Traits

Creators Sprite

Patriots Raptor

Scatter Praise

Retroacts Picaro KEY ANSWER TRICERA-WORD CREATOR Triceratops is a dinosaur. Dinosaur means "fearfully great lizard." It was coined by Sir Richard Owen in 1842.

Triceratops is a long word, so we can generate a few more words from it. Identify the picture, but make sure every letter is derived from the dino.

AIRPORT PIRATE APRICOTS

Triceratops Reports

Protect Rapiers

Rotates Critter CRATER

Attires Seaport

Tarsier Traits

Creators Sprite PARROTS

Patriots Raptor

Scatter Praise

Retroacts TRICEPS Picaro Name: ______TRICERATOPS IN POPULAR CULTURE The distinctive appearance of Triceratops has led to them being frequently depicted in films, computer games, and documentaries, such as the 1993 film Jurassic Park and the 1999 BBC television documentary Walking with Dinosaurs.

Other than the movie Jurassic Park, where else was the Triceratops featured? Use these pictures as your clue!

Source: Mighty Morphin Source: Zoids Power Rangers

Your title above. Write about the triceratops based on the popular media it was used in. NAME: ______

Circle the correct smiley that QUICK corresponds to the statements. Triceratops was a reptile.

REVIEW They were carnivores.

Triceratops lived 120 million years ago.

Triceratops lived very long lives.

They weighed between 6 and 12 tonnes.

Triceratops are extinct.

Triceratops lived along with the T-Rex.

It is established that Triceratops lived in herds.

Triceratops was the top predator in the food chain. KEY ANSWER

Circle the correct smiley that QUICK corresponds to the statements. Triceratops was a reptile.

REVIEW They were carnivores.

Triceratops lived 120 million years ago.

Triceratops lived very long lives.

They weighed between 6 and 12 tonnes.

Triceratops are extinct.

Triceratops lived along with the T-Rex.

It is established that Triceratops lived in herds.

Triceratops was the top predator in the food chain. Copyright Notice

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