[116][117], The relatively low dinosaur paleodiversity, small body size of most dinosaurs, and arid settings of the Djadokhta Formation compared to those of the Nemegt Formation, suggest that Protoceratops and contemporaneous biota lived in a stressed paleoenvironment (physical factors that generate adverse impacts on the ecosystem). [66], Upon the analysis of the forelimbs of several ceratopsians, Phil Senter in 2007 suggested that the hands of Protoceratops could reach the ground when the hindlimbs were upright, and the overall forelimb morphology and range of motion may reflect that it was at least a facultative (optional) quadruped. As Protoceratops was a relatively basal (primitive) ceratopsian, the finding may imply that other ceratopsians provided care for their young as well. [5][39], The pelvic girdle was formed by the ilium, pubis, and ischium. [5], The pectoral girdle of Protoceratops was formed by the scapulocoracoid (fusion of the coracoid and scapula) and clavicle. Saneyoshi and team emphasized that the high frequency of feeding traces at the limb joints of numerous specimens and reports of previous studies, indicates that small animals may have targeted the collagen found in the joint cartilage of dried dinosaur carcasses as a source of nitrogen, which was low in the desert-dry conditions of these dinosaur fossils. 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. Was a herbivore. Given that the Velociraptor is relatively complete, Carpenter suggested that it may have been completely or partially buried by sand. The Velociraptor has its right hand trapped within the jaws of the Protoceratops and the left one grasping the Protoceratops skull. 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. Both predentary and dentary had a series of foramina (small pits), the latter mostly on its anterior end. The surfaces around the epijugal were coarse, indicating that it was covered by a horny sheath. The Gobi is now a desert. The sacral vertebrae were firmly coosified giving form to the sacrum, which was connected to the inner sides of both ilia. Protoceratops was a small dinosaur that ate plants. Moreover, it lies on the floor with its feet directed to the prey's belly and throat areas, indicating that this Velociraptor was not scavenging. The team also noted the presence of borings on the skulls and skeletons of both assemblages, and these may have been produced by insect larvae after the animals died. 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. Simon Pegg as Buckminster "Buck" Wild: A one-eyed weasel and dinosaur hunter. However, the discovery of Protoceratops' eggs fossilised in sandy pits in desert areas of China and Mongolia proved that theory wrong. Protoceratops is a dinosaur which lived around 71 million years ago during the end of the Mesozoic Period. However, Barsbold pointed out that there no related traces within the overall specimen in order to support this latter interpretation. [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. A Dinosaur's Pterosaur Lunch. The centra were heterocoelous (saddle-shaped at both facets). [18] Additional fauna from this unit comprises nanhsiungchelyids turtles,[94] and a variety of squamates and mammals. Velociraptor, facts and photos. Although ceratopsians have been found all over the world, protoceratopsids are only definitively known from Cretaceous strata in Asia, with most specimens found in China and Mongolia.As ceratopsians, protoceratopsids were herbivorous, with constantly replacing tooth batteries made for slicing . Observations made found that the high number of caudal vertebrae may have been useful for swimming and use the tail to counter-balance weight. Fastovsky and team also suggested that even though the individuals were young, they were not perinates based on the absence of eggshell fragments and their large size compared to even more smaller juveniles from this locality. Unlike other specimens, it was discovered in a rolled-up position with its skull preserving a thin, hard, and wrinkled layer of matrix (surrounding sediments). 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In 1900 Henry Fairfield Osborn suggested that Central Asia may have been the center of origin of most animal species, including humans, which caught the attention of explorer and zoologist Roy Chapman Andrews. [56], In 1955 paleontologist Georg Haas examined the overall skull shape of Protoceratops and attempted to reconstruct its jaw musculature. These individuals were considered as females. They also reproduced by laying eggs. A concavity was present on its upper part, serving as the connection with the humerus and forming the elbow. The use of the frill as a displaying structure may be related to other anatomical features of Protoceratops such as the premaxillary teeth (at least for P. andrewsi) which could have been used in display or intraspecific combat, or the high neural spines of tail. The specific name, kozlowskii, is in tribute to the Polish paleontologist Roman Kozowski. What was a Protoceratops's habitat? According these differences, four groups were identified, concluding that individual variation was extended to the vertebral column of Protoceratops. [98][99][100], The Djadokhta Formation is separated into a lower Bayn Dzak Member and upper Turgrugyin Member. [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. It appears that Protoceratops may have frequently been hunted by Velociraptor, as a spectacular fossil was discovered showing the two animals locked in combat before death. [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 Given that soft-shelled eggs are more vulnerable to deshydratation and crushing, Protoceratops may have buried its eggs in moisturized sand or soil. [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 focused on the mineral and chemical compositions of the . It had a sharp end and rough texture, which reflects that a rhamphotheca (horny beak) was present. Until the 1920's, palaeontologists (that's fossil scientists) thought that all dinosaurs lived in swamps and forests. It lived alongside Shantungosaurus, Zhuchengtyrannus, and Zhuchengceratops . The angular was located below the two latter bones and behind the dentary. It lived in the Cretaceous period and inhabited Asia. [4] Other researchers immediately noted the importance of the Protoceratops finds, and the genus was hailed as the "long-sought ancestor of Triceratops". The results indicated that Protoceratops was a cathemeral herbivore and Velociraptor primarily nocturnal, suggesting that the Fighting Dinosaurs deathmatch may have occurred at twilight or under low-light conditions. [118], In 1993 Jerzykiewiczz suggested that many articulated Protoceratops specimens died in the process of trying to free themselves from massive sand bodies that trapped them during sandstorms events and were not transported by environmental factors. Facts on the Protoceratops. What kind of habitat did Protoceratops live in? There are two documented species: the type genus P. andrewsi and the newly named P. hellenikorhinus. Such use of the frill may suggest that intraspecific social behavior was highly important for Protoceratops. [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. The neural arch and spine of the axis were notably larger than the atlas itself and any other cervical. Despite maintaining the skull morphology of most Protoceratops specimens (such as premaxillary teeth), the neck frill in this population was straighter with a near triangular shape. '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. [58] You Hailu and Peter Dodson in 2004 suggested that the premaxillary teeth of Protoceratops may have been useful for selective cropping and feeding. 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. Suppose this scenario: A member of our scientific community has discovered an alternate Earth with a recent point of departure ("recent . To accommodate this equipment, the skull of Protoceratops was almost comically large compared to the rest of its body, giving it a distinctly "top . Descrio. They also considered possible that populations of Velociraptor were aware of crouching behaviors in Protoceratops during high-energy sandstorms and used it for successful hunts. [126], Mayor in 2001 and 2011 defended the hypothesis of Protoceratops as an influence over the griffin by citing that some other Greek histories about mythological creatures may have had their origins at the hands of fossil findings made by ancient people. He suggested another scenario where the multiple wounds delivered by the Velociraptor on the Protoceratops throat had the latter animal bleeding to death. The difference in morphologies between Protoceratops also suggests that the nearby Bayan Mandahu Formation is slightly younger than the Djadokhta Formation. Due to the . andrewsi (Granger and Gregory, 1923) juveniles in situ from from MPC-D 100/530. From subadult to adult individuals, the squamosal bone increased in size more than the parietal bone, and the frill expanded to a top direction. He suggested that the large neck frill was likely an attachment site for masticatory muscles. Though more remains of Protoceratops were collected in later years of the expeditions, they were most abundant in the 1922 to 1925 seasons. The holotype skull was found facing upwards, a pose that has been reported in Protoceratops specimens from Tugriken Shireh. On September 21, the expedition returned to Beijing, and even though it was set up to look for remains of human ancestors, the team collected numerous dinosaur fossils and thus provided insights into the rich fossil record of Asia. The main gait of Protoceratops was probably trot-like mostly using its hindlimbs and it is unlikely to have used an asymmetric gait. Their neural spines were elongated and sub-rectangular in shape with a tendency to become more elongated in posterior vertebrae. They concluded that enamel shape does not relate to the diet or function of the teeth as most animals do not necessarily use teeth to process food. [81], In 2011 the first authentic nest of Protoceratops (MPC-D 100/530) from the Tugriken Shireh locality was described by David E. Fastovsky and team. andrewsi. This clutch comprises at least 12 eggs and embryos with only 6 embryos preserving nearly complete skeletons. Unlike later ceratopsians, it lacked intense horns. However, as the group could have loss members by predation or other factors, the remnants individuals would aggregate into larger groups to increase their survival. 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 examined fossil bones indicated that Protoceratops slowed its ontogeny (growth) around 910 years of life, and it ceased around 1113 years. However, now [] Like Triceratops, its North American relative, Protoceratops walked on 4 legs, was heavily built, and had a parrot-like beak. Protoceratops andrewsi. [29], Nevertheless, in 2011 an authentic nest of Protoceratops was reported and described by David E. Fastovsky and colleagues. It has been examined and studied by numerous researchers and paleontologists, debating on how the animals got buried and preserved altogether. An artist's rendition of a Protoceratops with a colorful neck frill. Second group had a fairly rounded posterior border of the squamosal, and a long and well-developed bony ridge on the posterior border of the parietal bone. [5][19], Protoceratops had leaf-shaped dentary and maxillary teeth that bore several denticles (serrations) on their respective edges. After emerging from the eggs, larvae would have fed on the carcass prior to pupating. Even though their respective skull anatomy had substantial differences, their postcranial skeleton was virtually the same. The tibia (shinbone) was long and slender with a wide lower end. [100] P. andrewsi is also abundant at Udyn Sayr,[76][56] where Avimimus and Udanoceratops have been recovered. On the anterior caudals they were broad, however, from the twenty-fifth onwards the centra became elongated alongside the neural spines. At their lower region, the scapulae meet the coracoids. Most of the fossilized remains of these dinosaurs were found in Asia, particularly in Mongolia, in the Gobi Desert and other parts of central Asia.