[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. Protoceratops was a predecessor of the more familiar horned dinosaurs such as Triceratops. Protoceratops is the one dinosaur that every fossil hunting expedition finds in Mongolia. andrewsi. [5], The pectoral girdle of Protoceratops was formed by the scapulocoracoid (fusion of the coracoid and scapula) and clavicle. [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. She cited myths such as cyclopes, giants, griffins and minotaurs. Triceratops - Wikipdia, a enciclopdia livre The parietals were the posteriormost bones of the skull and major elements of the frill. [61], Brown and Schlaikjer in 1940 upon their large description and revision of Protoceratops remarked that the orbits, frontals, and lacrimals suffered a shrinkage in relative size as the animal aged; the top border of the nostrils became more vertical; the nasal bones progressively became elongated and narrowed; and the neck frill as a whole also increases in size with age. A nest full of dinosaur babiesfossilized in their "last, bug-eyed, terrified minutes"suggests Protoceratops parents nurtured their young. [19] Both species can be differentiated by the following characteristics: The skull of Protoceratops was relatively large compared to its body and robustly built. changes in the late part of the Campanian stage. The nests are small, bowl-shaped depressions that contain as many as 15 babies, each about 6 inches long (see Fig. 8. Oviraptor, (genus Oviraptor), small, lightly built predatory or omnivorous dinosaur that brooded its eggs in a manner similar to birds. 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. He concluded that the prominent displacement of pectoral elements and right forelimb was caused by an external force that tried to tear them out. The centra were heterocoelous (saddle-shaped at both facets). However, he noted that there were enough differences between P. andrewsi and P. kozlowskii, and erected the new genus and combination Breviceratops kozlowskii. Hone and colleagues in particular suggested that juveniles would aggregate primarily as a defense against predators and an increased protection from the multiple adults within the group. Tiny dinos with fancy neck frills were big showoffs | Live Science In 2010, it was named by Alan L. Titus, Catherine A. Forster, Mark A. Loewen, Andrew A. Farke, Scott D. Sampson, Joshua A. Smith, and Eric M. Roberts. The coracoids were relatively elliptical, and sometimes coosified (fused) to the scapulae. Diabloceratops was a medium-sized, moderately built, ground-dwelling, quadrupedal herbivore, that could grow up . The skull of the type species, P. andrewsi, had an average total length of nearly 50cm (500mm). Diet: herbivorous Teeth: shearing and grinding teeth with a horny beak at the front Food: plant material How it moved: on 4 legs When it lived: While Andy and his colleagues were able to show that the frill of Protoceratops likely evolved as a result of social behaviour between members of the species as opposed to, for example, defence, it is difficult to be conclusive that . Protoceratops Habitat & Entrance | Andros | Prehistoric - YouTube The scapulae (shoulder blades) were relatively large and rounded on their inner sides. This genus was based on a few dorsal (back) vertebrae that were stated to differ from those of Protoceratops. [90] Other dinosaur members include the alvarezsaurid Linhenykus;[91] ankylosaurid Pinacosaurus mephistocephalus;[92][93] and closely related protoceratopsid Bagaceratops. A dinosaur habitat right next to rivers are floodplains. Fact or Fiction. The crowns (upper exposed part) had two faces or lobes that were divided by a central ridge-like structure (also called "primary ridge"). 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. Protoceratops Pronunciation: pro-toe-ker-ah-tops Name meaning: 'first horned face' Type of dinosaur: ceratopsian Length: 1.8m Weight: 400kg. The "horn" and frill were highly variable in shape and size across individuals of the same species, but there is no evidence of sexual dimorphism. Both parietals were coossified (fused), creating a long ridge on the center of the frill. Such use of the frill may suggest that intraspecific social behavior was highly important for Protoceratops. Their neural spines were smaller than the first three vertebrae and the development of the capitular facet diminished from the fourth cervical onwards. [11], Fastovsky in 1997 examined the geology at Tugriken Shireh providing insights into the taphonomy of Protoceratops. Se ha dado con huevos pequeos y con una gran cantidad de fsiles, que abarcan desde especmenes jvenes . On its upper region a concavity was developed for the joint with the smaller fibula. Type A eggs differed from type B eggs in having a pinched end. Protoceratops - Wikipedia ting Vit (Cretaceous, Campanian), Mongolia", "Insect Trace Fossils Associated with Protoceratops Carcasses in the Djadokhta Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Mongolia: Forensic Entomology in the Upper Cretaceous", "Trace fossils on dinosaur bones from Upper Cretaceous eolian deposits in Mongolia: Taphonomic interpretation of paleoecosystems in ancient desert environments", "Trace fossils on dinosaur skeletons from the Upper Cretaceous of Gobi desert, Mongolia", "Why Protoceratops almost certainly wasn't the inspiration for the griffin legend", Footage from the Third Central Asiatic Expedition, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Protoceratops&oldid=1139818722, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 01:55. [77], In 2016 Hone and colleagues analyzed 37 skulls of P. andrewsi, finding that the neck frill of Protoceratops (in both length and width) underwent positive allometry during ontongeny, that is, a faster growth/development of this region than the rest of the animal. 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? Protoceratops | Prehistoric Park Wiki | Fandom . [36], Also from the context of the Polish-Mongolian paleontological expeditions, in 1965 an articulated subadult Protoceratops skeleton (specimen ZPAL Mg D-II/3) was collected from the Bayn Dzak locality of the Djadokhta Formation. 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. [27] Moreover, phylogenetic analyses published in 2008 by Darla K. Zelenitsky and Franois Therrien have shown that Protoceratopsidovum represents the eggs of a maniraptoran more derived than oviraptorids and not Protoceratops. 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. Oviraptor memakan telur Protoceratops. One Protoceratops Species was Named in Honor of a Real-Life Indiana Jones. The humerus (upper arm bone) was large and slender, and at the lower part it meet with both radius and ulna. [68], In 2011 during the description of Koreaceratops, Yuong-Nam Lee and colleagues found the above swimming hypotheses hard to prove based on the abundance of Protoceratops in eolian (wind-deposited) sediments that were deposited in prominent arid environments. [1] Gregory and Charles C. Mook in 1925 upon a more deeper analysis of Protoceratops and its overall morphology, concluded that this taxon represents a ceratopsian more primitive than ceratopsids and not an ankylosaur-ceratopsian ancestor. Another proposal is that the Velociraptor was scavenging an already dead Protoceratops when it got buried and eventually killed by indeterminate circumstances. The nasal was generally rounded but some individuals had a sharp nasal boss (a feature that has been called "nasal horn"). Furthermore, Coombs considered the large concentration of Protoceratops eggs at small regions as an indicator of marked philopatric nesting (nesting in the same area). This family was characterized by their overall primitive morphology in comparison to the more derived Ceratopsidae, such as lack of well-developed horn cores and relative smaller body size. The team concluded that the frill of Protoceratops can be characterized by these ontogenetic changes. It was a herbivore and ate tough leaves and plants 6. [97][99] The Bayn Dzak member (mostly the Bayn Dzak locality) has yielded the dromaeosaurids Halszkaraptor and Velociraptor mongoliensis;[101][102] oviraptorid Oviraptor;[3] ankylosaurid Pinacosaurus grangeri;[93] and troodontid Saurornithoides. Each egg was elongated and hard-shelled, and due to the proximity and high abundance of Protoceratops in the formation, these eggs were believed at the time to belong to this dinosaur. The most famous desert of the Mesozoic Era, the Gobi of central Asia, was inhabited by three very familiar dinosaursProtoceratops, Oviraptor, and Velociraptor.In fact, the entwined fossils of a Protoceratops locked in combat with a Velociraptor were preserved by a . Triceratops had a big head. The jaw morphology of Protoceratopsmore suitable for processing plant materialand its extreme abundance indicate it was not a predator, so if it was a diurnal animal, then it would have been expected to have a much smaller sclerotic ring size. This feeding method was likely more efficient in protoceratopsids as the enamel surface of Protoceratops was coarsely-textured and the tips of the micro-serrations developed on the basis of the teeth, probably helping to crumble vegetation. He pointed out that their prominent parrot-like beaks and shearing teeth along with powerful muscles on the jaws suggest an omnivore diet instead, much like pigs, hogs, boars and entelodonts. Paleontologists uncovered this just-hatched Protoceratops in 1997 at Ukhaa Tolgod. 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. The coronoid (highest point of the lower jaw) was blunt-shaped and touched by the coronoid process of the dentary, being obscured by the jugal. Some elements were damaged in the process such as the rostrum. 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. [79], In 1989, Walter P. Coombs concluded that crocodilians, ratite and megapode birds were suitable modern analogs for dinosaur nesting behavior. [49], However, in 1975 Maryanska and Osmolska argued that it is very unlikely that protoceratopsids evolved from psittacosaurids, and also unlikely that they gave rise to the highly derived (advanced) ceratopsids. Ceratopsia | Fossil Wiki | Fandom hellenikorhinus. [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. He agreed in that the preservation of Protoceratops specimens indicate that they underwent a catastrophic event such as desert storms, and carcasses were not relocated by scavengers or environmental factors. 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. [28] The description of the eggshell of Protoceratopsidovum has further confirmed that they in fact belong to a maniraptoran, possibly deinonychosaur taxon. Results also support the general hypothesis that the neck frill of ceratopsians functioned as a socio-sexual signal structure. The sacral vertebrae were firmly coosified giving form to the sacrum, which was connected to the inner sides of both ilia. They had a short but powerful tail and walked on four thick legs weighing up to 11,000 kg (24,250 pounds) and could reach up to 9m (30 feet) in length and 3m (10 feet) in height. Protoceratops was a small dinosaur that ate plants. [5][39], Protoceratops was in 1923 placed within the newly named family Protoceratopsidae as the representative species by Granger and Gregory. The dominant lithology is reddish-brown, poorly cemented, fine grained sandstone with some conglomerate, and caliche. Although it was not fully understood the conditions surrounding their burial, it was clear that they died simultaneously in struggle. The forelimbs had five fingers of which only the first three bore wide and flat unguals. He agreed with Brown and Schlaikjer in that a high, well-developed nasal horn represents a male trait and the opposite indicates females. Protoceratops is one of the most common dinosaurs from its habitat and region which, along with its size, has given it the nickname "Sheep of the Cretaceous". 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. Additionally, the reported borings have a structure that differs from traces made by dermestid beetles. Most bones of Protoceratops preserve a large abundance of bone fibers (including Sharpey's fibres), which likely gave strength to the organ and enhanced its elasticity. They appear to have cared for their young. The first three fingers had unguals (claw bones) and were the largest digits. The examined pupae from the specimen are more cylindrical structures with rounded ends. Protoceratops was initially believed to be an ancestor of ankylosaurians and larger ceratopsians, such as Triceratops and relatives, until the discoveries of other protoceratopsids. Since Protoceratops was more primitive than any other known ceratopsian at that time, Granger and Gregory coined the new family Protoceratopsidae, mostly characterized by the lack of horns. A notorious amount of pupae were found in clusters and singly along the bone surfaces, mostly in the joint areas, where the trace makers would have feed on dried ligaments, tendons and cartilage. These posters are perfect for classroom, science lab, or home school. [53], In 2019 Czepiski analyzed a vast majority of referred specimens to the ceratopsians Bagaceratops and Breviceratops, and concluded that most were in fact specimens of the former. Protoceratops c dim xp np ln c, c th phc v nh l tm bo v c, ni duy tr cc c quai hm, e da cc loi khc, hoc t hp ca cc chc nng ny. At first scientist thought this meant they were nocturnal (they came out at night). The researchers focused on the mineral and chemical compositions of the . It was subsequently analyzed by the paleontologist Walter W. Granger who identified it as reptilian. However, now [] Populations of P. andrewsi may have evolved into Bagaceratops through anagenesis. The examined fossil bones indicated that Protoceratops slowed its ontogeny (growth) around 910 years of life, and it ceased around 1113 years. Sementara Oviraptor dan Protoceratops memang hidup berdampingan di Asia Tengah Kapur akhir , ternyata "pencuri telur" ini mendapat reputasi buruk itu . As some individuals are closely appressed along the well-defined margin of the nest, it may have had a circular or semi-circular shapeas previously hypothetizedwith a diameter of 70cm (700mm). The geometrics showed no consistent morphological differences between specimens that were regarded as males and females by previous authors, but also a slight support for differences in the rostrum across the sample. 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. Protoceratops was a herbivore. [58] You Hailu and Peter Dodson in 2004 suggested that the premaxillary teeth of Protoceratops may have been useful for selective cropping and feeding. Early members such as Psittacosaurus were small and bipedal. Protoceratops means 'first horned face' 2. The first block (MPC-D 100/526) comprises four juvenile individuals in close proximity with their heads pointing upwards, and the second block (MPC-D 100/534) is composed of two sub-adults with a horizontal orientation. Protoceratops is a sheep-sized, herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. The angular was located below the two latter bones and behind the dentary. Other facies include alluvial (stream-deposited) and eolian (wind-deposited) sediments. [80] Richard A. Thulborn in 1992 analyzed the different types of eggs and neststhe majority of them, in fact, elongatoolithidreferred to Protoceratops and their structure. As Protoceratops was a relatively basal (primitive) ceratopsian, the finding may imply that other ceratopsians provided care for their young as well. The surfaces around the epijugal were coarse, indicating that it was covered by a horny sheath. Its skull was one of the largest of any land animal known to science and particularly big relative to the size of its body. Unlike later ceratopsians, it lacked intense horns. Dinosaurios y animales prehistricos | www.dinosaurios.wiki 3. [12], Hone and colleagues in 2014 indicated that two assemblages of Protoceratops at Tugriken Shireh (MPC-D 100/526 and 100/534) suggest that individuals died simultaneously, rather than accumulating over time. [8][9][10] Since its discovery, the Tugriken Shireh locality has yielded some of the most significant specimens of Protoceratops, such as the Fighting Dinosaurs,[8] in situ individualsa preservation condition also known as "standing" individuals or specimens in some cases,[11] authentic nests,[12] and small herd-like groups. They identified Protoceratops as an ornithischian dinosaur closely related to ceratopsians representing a possible common ancestor between ankylosaurs and ceratopsians. PERPUSTAKAAN GAMBAR DEA/Getty Images Ketika jenis fosil Oviraptor digali, pada tahun 1923, ia duduk di atas sekumpulan fosil telurmendorong teori bahwa ia baru saja menyerbu sarang Protoceratops. It is likely that sediments at Bayan Mandahu were deposited by short-lived rivers and lakes on an alluvial plain (flat land consisting of sediments deposited by highland rivers) with a combination of dune field paleoenvironments, under a semi-arid climate. [68], In 2019 Victoria M. Arbour and David C. Evans cited the robusticity of the ulna of Ferrisaurus as a useful feature for digging, which may have been also true for Protoceratops. Protoceratops had large orbits, which measured around 5cm (50mm) in diameter and had irregular shapes depending on the individual. In a top view they had a triangular shape and were joined by the frontals (bones of the skull roof). Protoceratops Facts & Info | Paleontology World The forelimbs of Protoceratops could sprawl laterally but not for quadrupedal locomotion, which was accomplished with the elbows tucked in. The triceratops size compared to a human via Wikipedia. It belonged to a group of dinosaurs called the Cerapoda. Preservational bias has been largely ruled out, it is therefore likely that Protoceratops was common in this habitat. The fact that the individuals likely spend some time in the nest after hatching for growth suggests that Protoceratops parents might have cared for their young at nests during at least the early stages of life. On the underside of the caudal vertebrae a series of chevrons were attached, giving form to the lower part of the tail. Information about the Protoceratop's habitat is limited to fossils found by paleontologists. c Walter Granger v W.K. 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. Like the neighbouring Bayn Dzak, this new locality contained an abundance of Protoceratops fossils. The second premaxillary tooth was larger than the first one. Other changes during ontogeny include the elongation of the premaxillary teeth that are smaller in juveniles and enlarged in adults, and the enlargement of middle neural spines in the tail or caudal vertebrae, which appear to grow much taller when approaching adulthood. The outlines of eggs and embryos indicates ellipsoid-shaped eggs in life with dimensions about 12cm (120mm) long and 6cm (60mm) wide. 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. Lastly, he noted that both males and females had not significant disparity in body size, and that sexual maturity in Protoceratops could be recognised at the moment when males can be distinguished from females. Later in 1923, W. K. Gregory and Walter Granger described the newly found species. [95][96], Protoceratops is known from most localities of the Djadokhta Formation in Mongolia, which dates back to the Late Cretaceous about 71 million to 75 million years ago, being deposited during a rapid sequence of polarity Found as fossils in deposits from the Late Cretaceous Period (about 100 million to 65.5 million years ago) of eastern Asia and North America, Oviraptor was about 1.8 metres (6 feet) long and walked on two long, well-developed hind limbs. Such traits were regarded as representing male P. hellenikorhinus. In the Late Cretaceous, about 100 million years ago, the ceratopsians began to diversify in North America and in Asia. [71] Longrich in 2010 argued that the high tail and frill of Protoceratops may have helped it to shed excess heat during the dayacting as large-surface structureswhen the animal was active in order to survive in the relatively arid environments of the Djadokhta Formation without highly developed cooling mechanisms. The individuals of this block were identified as a P. andrewsi and V. mongoliensis. Kosmoceratops - Facts and Pictures Based on these components, the paleoenvironments of the Djadokhta Formation are interpreted as having a hot, semiarid climate with large dune fields/sand dunes and several short-lived water bodies, similar to the modern Gobi Desert. Protoceratopsidae - Wikipedia MONGOLIA - Storia The team however, was not able to produce deeper analysis regarding sexual dimorphism in P. hellenikorhinus due to the lack of complete specimens. 5). The holotype (IMM 95BM1/1) and paratype (IMM 96BM1/4) specimens consist of large skulls lacking body remains. They laid soft-shelled eggs, a rare occurrence in dinosaurs. 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. The forward facing and closely located orbits combined with a narrow snout, gave Protoceratops a well-developed binocular vision. He concluded that nests were built in a shallow mound with the eggs laid radially, contrary to popular restorations of crater-like Protoceratops nests. 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. hellenikorhinus. Like other ceratops, lived in a terrestrial habitat. Judging off diet, speculated fat placement and habitat protoceratops would most . 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. Water dinosaurs who loved these places were the Hadrosaurus. The squamosal touched the jugal (cheekbone) and was very enlarged and high having a curved end that built the borders of the frill. [11], In 2014 David W. E. Hone and colleagues reported and described two blocks containing death assemblages of P. andrewsi from Tugriken Shireh. Building a Protoceratops Habitat in Prehistoric Kingdom [9] In 1998, paleontologist Paul Sereno formally defined Protoceratopsidae as the branch-based clade including all coronosaurs closer to Protoceratops than to Triceratops. . . In this formation, P. hellenikorhinus is the representative species, and it shared its paleoenvironment with numerous dinosaurs such as dromaeosaurids Linheraptor and Velociraptor osmolskae;[87][88] oviraptorids Machairasaurus and Wulatelong;[55][89] and troodontids Linhevenator, Papiliovenator, and Philovenator. The triceratops was squat and powerfully built, around the size of an elephant. Published November 29, 2011 Share Tweet Email The researchers analyzed new, embryo-bearing egg fossils ascribed to the dinosaurs Protoceratops and Mussaurus.