| Protoceratops Fossil range: Late Cretaceous |
||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Protoceratops skeleton at Wyoming Dinosaur Center. Late Cretaceous (100mya - 65mya refers to the second half of the Cretaceous Period, named after the famous white Chalk cliffs of southern England
|
||||||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| Species | ||||||||||||||||||
|
Protoceratops (meaning 'First Horned Face', derived from Greek proto-/πρωτο- 'first', cerat-/κερατ- 'horn' and -ops/-ωψ face)[1] is a genus of sheep-sized (1. The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic 5 to 2 m long) herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur, from the Upper Cretaceous Period (Campanian stage) of what is now Mongolia. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International Herbivory is a form of Predation in which an Organism, known as a herbivore, consumes principally Autotrophs ref name=Campbell>Campbell Ceratopsia or Ceratopia (ˌsɛrəˈtɒpsiə/ /ˌsɛrəˈtoʊpiə Greek: "horned faces" is a group of herbivorous, beaked Dinosaurs The Cretaceous (kriːˈteɪʃəs, usually abbreviated 'K' for its German translation "Kreide" is a geologic period and system, reaching from the end of The Campanian is a stage on the Geologic time scale occurring from 83 Mongolia (mɒŋˈɡoʊliə, literally Mongol country/nation,) is a Landlocked Country in East It was a member of the Protoceratopsidae, a group of early horned dinosaurs. A protoceratopsid is a Dinosaur of the family Protoceratopsidae. Unlike later ceratopsians, however, it lacked well-developed horns and retained some primitive traits not seen in later genera.
Protoceratops had a large neck frill, which may have served to protect the neck, to anchor jaw muscles, to impress other members of the species, or combinations of these functions. Described by Walter Granger and W.K. Gregory in 1923, Protoceratops was initially believed to be an ancestor of the North American ceratopsians. Walter Granger may refer to Walter K Granger, (1888–1978 American politician Walter W William King Gregory ( 19 May 1876 &ndash 29 December 1970) was an American Zoologist, renowned as a Primatologist Researchers currently distinguish two species of Protoceratops (P. andrewsi and P. hellenikorhinus), based in part by their respective sizes.
Contents |
Description
Protoceratops was approximately 1. 8 meters (6 ft) in length and 0. 6 meters (2 ft) high at the shoulder. This quadrupedal dinosaur had a neck frill at the back of its skull. Quadrupedalism (from Latin meaning "four legs" is a form of land animal locomotion using four legs. Neck frill is the popular term for the relatively extense margin seen on the back of the heads of Reptiles with either a bony support such as those present on The exact size and shape of the neck frill varied by individual; some specimens had short, compact frills, while others had frills nearly half the length of the skull. The frill consists mostly of the parietal bone and partially of the squamosal. The squamosal is a bone of the head of higher Vertebrates It is the principal component of the cheek region in the skull lying below the temporal series and Some researchers, including Peter Dodson[2] attribute the different sizes and shapes of these bones to sexual dimorphism and the age of the specimen. Peter Dodson is an American paleontologist who has published many papers and written and collaborated on books about Dinosaurs Dodson described Avaceratops Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different Sex in the same Species. Protoceratops was a relatively small dinosaur with a proportionately large skull. The skull consisted of a massive frontal beak and four pairs of fenestrae (skull openings). The foremost hole was the naris, which was considerably smaller than the nostrils seen in later genera. Protoceratops had large orbits (the holes for its eyes), which measured around 50 millimeters in diameter. In Physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of one object around a point or another body for example the gravitational orbit of a planet around a star [2] Behind the eye was a slightly smaller fenestra, the infratemporal fenestra. The frill itself contained two large parietal fenestra (holes in the frill), while its cheeks had large jugal bones. The jugal is a Skull bone found in most Reptiles Amphibians and Birds In Mammals the jugal is often called the malar or [3]
Discovery and species
Photographer J. A photographer is a person who takes a Photograph using a Camera. B. Shackelford discovered the first specimen of Protoceratops in the Gobi desert, (Gansu, Inner Mongolia), as part of a 1922 American expedition looking for human ancestors. ( is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. Inner Mongolia ( Mongolian:, Öbür mongɣul; occasionally romanized to Nei Mongol is the Mongol No early human fossils were found, but the expedition, led by Roy Chapman Andrews, collected many specimens of the Protoceratops genus, along with fossil skeletons of theropods Velociraptor, Oviraptor, and ceratopsid Psittacosaurus. Theropods (ˈθɪərəpɒd theropoda /θiːˈrɒpədə/ 'beast feet' are a group of Bipedal Saurischian Dinosaurs Although they were primarily Velociraptor (vɨˈlɒsɨræptɚ meaning 'swift thief' 'swift plunderer' or 'swift bird of prey' is a Genus of Dromaeosaurid theropod Oviraptor is a Genus of small Mongolian theropod Dinosaur, first discovered by legendary Paleontologist Roy Chapman Psittacosaurus ( or, from the Greek for ' Parrot Lizard ' is a Genus of Psittacosaurid Ceratopsian [2]
Walter Granger and W.K. Gregory formally described the type species, P. Walter Granger may refer to Walter K Granger, (1888–1978 American politician Walter W William King Gregory ( 19 May 1876 &ndash 29 December 1970) was an American Zoologist, renowned as a Primatologist In Taxonomy, a type species is the species that originally defined a genus. andrewsi in 1923, the specific name in honor of Andrews. The fossils date from the Campanian stage of the Upper Cretaceous (83. The Campanian is a stage on the Geologic time scale occurring from 83 The Cretaceous (kriːˈteɪʃəs, usually abbreviated 'K' for its German translation "Kreide" is a geologic period and system, reaching from the end of 5 to 70. 6 million years ago). In Astronomy, Geology, and Paleontology, mya or " mya " is an abbreviation for "million years ago". Researchers immediately noted the importance of the Protoceratops finds, and the genus was hailed as the "long-sought ancestor of Triceratops". Triceratops (traɪˈsɛrətɒps is an extinct Genus of herbivorous ceratopsid Dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian [2] The fossils were in an excellent state of preservation, with even the sclerotic rings (delicate occular bones) preserved in some specimens. Sclerotic rings are rings of Bone found in the Eyes of several groups of Vertebrate animals except for Mammals and Crocodilians They [2]
In 1971, a fossil was found that captured a Velociraptor clutched around a Protoceratops in Mongolia. Velociraptor (vɨˈlɒsɨræptɚ meaning 'swift thief' 'swift plunderer' or 'swift bird of prey' is a Genus of Dromaeosaurid theropod It is believed that they died simultaneously, while fighting, when they were either surprised by a sand storm or buried when a sand dune collapsed on top of them.
In 1975, Polish paleontologists Teresa Maryanska and Halszka Osmólska described a second species of Protoceratops, from the Campanian stage of Mongolia, which they named P. The Polish people, or Poles, (Polacy) are a Western Slavic Ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. Teresa Maryańska (?- is a Polish Paleontologist who has specialized in Mongolian Dinosaurs particularly Pachycephalosaurians and Halszka Osmólska (1930 - 31 March 2008) was a Polish Paleontologist who had specialized in Mongolian Dinosaurs A member kozlowskii. [4] However, the fossils consisted of incomplete juvenile remains, and are now considered synonymous with Bagaceratops rozhdestvenskyi. Bagaceratops, meaning "small-horned face" ( Mongolian Baga = "small" Greek ceratops = "horn face"
In 2001, a second valid species, P. hellenikorhinus, was named[5] from the Bayan Mandahu formation in Inner Mongolia, China and also dates from the Campanian epoch of the Upper Cretaceous. Inner Mongolia ( Mongolian:, Öbür mongɣul; occasionally romanized to Nei Mongol is the Mongol China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Campanian is a stage on the Geologic time scale occurring from 83 The Cretaceous (kriːˈteɪʃəs, usually abbreviated 'K' for its German translation "Kreide" is a geologic period and system, reaching from the end of It is notably larger than P. andrewsi, had a slightly different frill, and had more robust jugal horns. The jugal is a Skull bone found in most Reptiles Amphibians and Birds In Mammals the jugal is often called the malar or
In the 1920s, Roy Chapman Andrews discovered the first known fossilized dinosaur eggs, in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. The Gobi (Говь Govi or Gov', "gravel-covered plain" Chinese: zh-t 戈壁(沙漠 Gēbì (Shāmò) Due to the proximity of Protoceratops, these eggs were believed at the time to belong to this species. The nearby theropod Oviraptor was thought to have been engaged in the process of stealing and eating them. Theropods (ˈθɪərəpɒd theropoda /θiːˈrɒpədə/ 'beast feet' are a group of Bipedal Saurischian Dinosaurs Although they were primarily Oviraptor is a Genus of small Mongolian theropod Dinosaur, first discovered by legendary Paleontologist Roy Chapman However, in 1993 Norrell et al. discovered an Oviraptor embryo inside a supposed Protoceratops egg. [6]
Classification
Protoceratops was the first named protoceratopsian and hence gives its name to the family Protoceratopsidae, a group of herbivorous dinosaurs that were too advanced to be psittacosaurids, but too primitive to be ceratopsids. A protoceratopsid is a Dinosaur of the family Protoceratopsidae. A protoceratopsid is a Dinosaur of the family Protoceratopsidae. The group is characterized by their similarities to the ceratopsidae but with more cursorial limb proportions and generally smaller frills. Ceratopsidae (sometimes spelled Ceratopidae) is a speciose group of Marginocephalian Dinosaurs including Triceratops and Styracosaurus Cursorial is a biological term that describes an organism as being adapted specifically to run. In 1998, Paul Sereno defined Protoceratopsidae as the stem-based clade including "all coronosaurs closer to Protoceratops than to Triceratops. Paul Callistus Sereno (born October 11 1957) is an American paleontologist who is the discoverer of several new Dinosaur species on A clade is a taxonomic group comprising a single Common ancestor and all the descendants of that ancestor " The clade also includes Bagaceratops, Breviceratops, Graciliceratops, Lamaceratops, Magnirostris, Platyceratops, and Serendipaceratops. Bagaceratops, meaning "small-horned face" ( Mongolian Baga = "small" Greek ceratops = "horn face" Breviceratops (meaning "short horn face" was a Ceratopsian Dinosaur from Late Cretaceous Mongolia. Graciliceratops is a Ceratopsian Dinosaur first described by paleontologist Paul Sereno in 2000 Lamaceratops,"Lama Horned Face" is a Dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period Magnirostris, from the latin "magnus" 'large' and "rostrum" 'beak' is the name given to a Genus of Dinosaur Platyceratops is a Dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous, during the Campanian Age, about 75-72 million years ago Serendipaceratops is a Genus of early Ceratopsian Dinosaur from the early Cretaceous Period of Australia.
Origin of griffin myths
Folklorist and historian of science Adrienne Mayor of Stanford University has suggested that the exquisitely preserved fossil skeletons of Protoceratops 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. Adrienne Mayor (b1946 is a classical folklorist and historian of science Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University or simply Stanford, is a private Research university located in The Scythians or Scyths (Σκύθες Σκύθοι were an Iranian speaking people of horse-riding Nomadic pastoralists who dominated the Pontic The Tian Shan (天山 Pinyin: Tiān Shān "celestial mountains" also commonly spelled Tien Shan, is a Mountain range located in Central The Altai Mountains (Алтай Altay; Алтай 阿尔泰山脉 are a Mountain range in central Asia, where Russia, The griffin is a Legendary creature with the body of a Lion and the head and often wings of an Eagle. Griffins were described as lion-sized quadrupeds with large claws and a raptor-bird-like beak; they laid their eggs in nests on the ground. Greek writers began describing the griffin around 675 B. C. , at the same time the Greeks first made contact with Scythian nomads. Griffins were described as guarding the gold deposits in the arid hills and red sandstone formations of the wilderness. The region of Mongolia and China where many Protoceratops fossils are found is rich in gold runoff from the neighboring mountains, lending some credence to the theory that these fossils were the basis of griffin myths. [2]
References
- ^ Liddell & Scott (1980). Greek-English Lexicon, Abridged Edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. ISBN 0-19-910207-4.
- ^ a b c d e f Dodson, P. (1996). The Horned Dinosaurs. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 200-234. ISBN 0-691-05900-4.
- ^ Lambert, D. (1993). The Ultimate Dinosaur Book. Dorling Kindersley, New York, pp. 152—167. ISBN 1-56458-304-X.
- ^ Maryanska, T. and Osmólska, H. (1975). "Protoceratopsidae (Dinosauria) of Asia". Palaeontologica Polonica 33:133-181
- ^ Lambert, O, Godefroit, P, Li, H, Shang, C. -Y. & Dong,Z. -M. (2001). Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. "A new species of Protoceratops (Dinosauria, Neoceratopsia) from the Late Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia (P. R. China)". Bulletin de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Science de la Terre: 5–28.
- ^ http://dallasdino.org/exhibits/dinoworld/Protoceratops.asp
- Dodson, P. (1996). The Horned Dinosaurs. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. ISBN 0-691-05900-4.
- Mayor, A. (2000). The First Fossil Hunters: Paleontology in Greek and Roman Times. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. ISBN 0-691-05863-6.
Gallery
 Skull of an adult Protoceratops. |
 Skull of a juvenile Protoceratops. |
 Protoceratops skull at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris. The Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle ( MNHN) is the French national Museum of Natural history. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city |
 Lying Protoceratops skeleton, Experimentarium, Copenhagen. Copenhagen (ˌkəʊpənˈheɪgən ˌkəʊpənˈhɑːgən ˈkəʊpənˌheɪgən ˈkəʊpənˌhɑːgən kʰøb̥ənˈhɑʊ̯ˀn kʰøb̥m̩ˈhɑʊ̯ˀn is the capital and largest city |
 Adult and juvenile Protoceratops skull size comparison, Experimentarium, Copenhagen. Copenhagen (ˌkəʊpənˈheɪgən ˌkəʊpənˈhɑːgən ˈkəʊpənˌheɪgən ˈkəʊpənˌhɑːgən kʰøb̥ənˈhɑʊ̯ˀn kʰøb̥m̩ˈhɑʊ̯ˀn is the capital and largest city |
External links
- A video of Protoceratops vs Velociraptor
- Ceratopia from Thescelosaurus web site
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic