Most of the individuals within the nest had nearly the same age, size and growth, suggesting that they belonged to a single nest, rather than an aggregate of individuals. Makovicky and team also stated that as the maximum/radical changes on the neck frill and nasal horn were present in most adult individuals, trying to differentiate sexual dimorphism (anatomical differences between sexes) in adult Protoceratops may not be a good practice. . Such lineage was suggested to have started from the primitive ceratopsian Psittacosaurus. Its skull was one of the largest of any land animal known to science and particularly big relative to the size of its body. The specific name, andrewsi, is in honor of Andrews for his prominent leadership during the expeditions. A group of five medium-sized and adult Protoceratops was observed at the Bayan Mandahu locality. The capitular facet (attachment site for chevrons; also known as cervical ribs) was formed by a low projection located near the base of the neural arch. Like its larger and geologically younger relative Triceratops, this herbivore also had a bony . Such scenario indicates a possible competition with the more predatory theropods over carcasses, however, as the animal tissue ingestion was occasional and not the bulk of their diet, the energy flow in ecosystems was relatively simple. Though a drowning scenario has been proposed by Barsbold,[32] such hypothesis is considered unlikely given the arid paleoenvironments or settings of the Djadokhta Formation. (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. Its fossils have been found in places such as Gansu (China), Bayankhongor (Mongolia) and Inner Mongolia (China). Protoceratops was discovered in 1922 . The first three fingers had unguals (claw bones) and were the largest digits. [69], Gregory and Mook in 1925 suggested that Protoceratops was partially aquatic because of its large feetbeing larger than the handsand the very long neural spines found in the caudal (tail) vertebrae. Other facies include alluvial (stream-deposited) and eolian (wind-deposited) sediments. Below are the proposed relationships among Protoceratopsidae by Czepiski:[18], In 2019 Bitnara Kim and colleagues described a relatively well-preserved Bagaceratops skeleton from the Barun Goyot Formation, noting numerous similarities with Protoceratops. They also named the new genus and species of protoceratopsid Bagaceratops rozhdestvenskyi, known from specimens of the nearby Hermiin Tsav locality. [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. The nest of Protoceratops would have been excavated with the hindlimbs and was built in a mound-like, crater-shaped center structure with the eggs arranged in semicircular fashion. 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. Preservational bias has been largely ruled out, it is therefore likely that Protoceratops was common in this habitat. As a last effort, the Protoceratops bit the right hand of the predator and trapped it beneath its own weight, causing the eventual death and desiccation of the Velociraptor. [9] In 1998, paleontologist Paul Sereno formally defined Protoceratopsidae as the branch-based clade including all coronosaurs closer to Protoceratops than to Triceratops. Most embryos within this clutch have a flexed position and the outlines of eggs are also present, suggesting that they were buried in ovo (in the egg). The ilium was a large element, having a narrow preacetabular process (anterior end) and a wide postacetabular process (posterior end). 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. [12], In 2017 Gregory M. Erickson and colleagues determined the incubation periods of P. andrewsi and Hypacrosaurus by using lines of arrested growth (LAGS; lines of growth) of the teeth in embryonic specimens (Protoceratops egg clutch MPC-D 100/1021). 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. [34], Kenneth Carpenter in 1998 considered the Fighting Dinosaurs specimen to be conclusive evidence for theropods as active predators and not scavengers. Sementara Oviraptor dan Protoceratops memang hidup berdampingan di Asia Tengah Kapur akhir , ternyata "pencuri telur" ini mendapat reputasi buruk itu . [38], In 2019 however, Sowiak and team described the limb elements of ZPAL Mg D-II/3, which represents a sub-adult individual, and noted a mix of characters typical of bipedal ceratopsians such as a narrow glenoid with scapular blade and an arched femur. Protoceratops var ett fyrfotat djur, ganska lik de mer vlknda ceratopsiderna, ssom Triceratops, Centrosaurus och Styracosaurus, men var mycket mindre; den mtte knappt 1,8 - 2 meter frn nos till svansspets, och hade ungefr samma kroppsstorlek som en tam gris eller ett fr. 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. The skull is also what makes Triceratops so memorable, with its bony frill and three . The dentary (teeth-bearing bone) was robust, deep, slightly recurved, and fused to the angular and surangular. Tena un tamao pequeo y un crneo grande. 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. [18] Additional fauna from this unit comprises nanhsiungchelyids turtles,[94] and a variety of squamates and mammals. The humerus (upper arm bone) was large and slender, and at the lower part it meet with both radius and ulna. Protoceratops andrewsi is a fairly small and primitive ceratopsian, or horned dinosaur. Protoceratops was an early relative of the great horned dinosaurs, such as Triceratops . [12] Gregory M. Erickson and team in 2017 reported an embryo-bearing egg clutch (MPC-D 100/1021) of Protoceratops from the also fossiliferous Ukhaa Tolgod locality, discovered during paleontological expeditions of the American Museum of Natural History and Mongolian Academy of Sciences. Tysice darmowych zdj i wektorw. Unwin and colleagues examined the sediments surrounding the specimen and suggested that the two were buried alive by a powerful sandstorm. The last two were devoid of unguals and had a small size, mostly vestigial (retained, but without important function). [25], In 1994 the Russian paleontologist Konstantin E. Mikhailov named the new oogenus Protoceratopsidovum from the Barun Goyot and Djadokhta formations, with the type species P. sincerum and additional P. fluxuosum and P. minimum. Oviraptor, (genus Oviraptor), small, lightly built predatory or omnivorous dinosaur that brooded its eggs in a manner similar to birds. The average weight of the dinosaur was 400kg (900 pounds) 4. Unlike dentary and maxillary teeth, the premaxillary dentition was devoid of denticles, having a relatively smooth surface. [1] Although not stated in the original description, the generic name, Protoceratops, is intended to mean "first horned face" as it was believed that Protoceratops represented an early ancestor of ceratopsids. In the 2000s during the preparation of the specimen, a fossilized cast of a four-toed digitigrade footprint was found below the pelvic girdle. He largely considered elongatoolithid eggs to belong to Protoceratops because adult skeletons were found in close proximity to nests, interpreting this as an evidence for parental care. Paleontologists uncovered this just-hatched Protoceratops in 1997 at Ukhaa Tolgod. [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 By this time, Protoceratops had become one of the most abundant dinosaurs of the region with more than 100 specimens known, including skulls and skeletons of multiple individuals at different growth stages. On its upper region a concavity was developed for the joint with the smaller fibula. The first point was supported by the numerous anatomical differences between protoceratopsids and psittacosaurids, most notably the extreme reduction of some hand digits in the latter groupa trait much less pronounced in protoceratopsids. Lee and colleagues concluded that even though the tail morphology of Koreaceratopsand other basal ceratopsiansdoes not argues against swimming habits, the cited evidence for it is insufficient. These results suggest that they functioned as socio-sexual dominance signals, or, they were mostly used in display. On the anterior caudals they were broad, however, from the twenty-fifth onwards the centra became elongated alongside the neural spines. 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. The specific name, kozlowskii, is in tribute to the Polish paleontologist Roman Kozowski. The premaxilla had two alveoli on its lower edgea character that was present at least on P. andrewsi. [6] In 1951 Edwin H. Colbert considered Protoceratops to represent a key ancestor for the ceratopsid lineage, suggesting that it ultimately led to the evolution of large-bodied ceratopsians such as Styracosaurus and Triceratops. El Protoceratops fue de alguna forma el primer ceratopsiano real. The pes (foot) were composed of four metatarsal and four toes which bore shovel-like pedal unguals. The forelimbs had five fingers of which only the first three bore wide and flat unguals. The examined pupae from the specimen are more cylindrical structures with rounded ends. '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. The squamosal touched the jugal (cheekbone) and was very enlarged and high having a curved end that built the borders of the frill. janetteasche / Getty Images. He also considered it unlikely that these Protoceratops individuals died after burying themselves in the sand given that these specimens are only found in structureless sandstones; an arched posture would pose hard breathing conditions; and burrowers are known to excavate headfirst and sub horizontally. The maxillary teeth of ceratopsians were usually packed into a dental battery that formed vertical shearing blades which probably chopped the leaves. Protoceratops itself was considered by the authors to be somehow related to ankylosaurians based on skull traits, with a more intensified degree to Triceratops and relatives. The researchers focused on the mineral and chemical compositions of the . 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. They are thought to have lived in highly sociable groups of mixed ages. Behind the eye was a slightly smaller fenestra known as the infratemporal fenestra, formed by the curves of the jugal and squamosal. [123], In 2011 Fastovsky with colleagues concluded that the juveniles within the nest MPC-D 100/530 were rapidly overwhelmed by a strong sand-bearing event and entombed alive. Protoceratops is largely known from both members, having P. andrewsi as a dominant and representative species in the overall formation. Witton goes on to point out that the wings of traditional griffins are positioned above the shoulder blades, not behind the neck as the frills of Protoceratops, that the bodies of griffins much more closely resemble the bodies of modern big cats than they do those of Protoceratops, and that the gold deposits of central Asia occur hundreds of kilometers from the known Protoceratops fossil remains, among many other inconsistencies. The tail may have been related with structures like the frill for displaying behavior. 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 . They appear to have cared for their young. The specific name, hellenikorhinus, is derived from Greek hellenikos (meaning Greek) and rhis (meaning nose) in reference to its broad and angular snout, which is reminiscent of the straight profiles of Greek sculptures. On the other hand P. hellenikorhinus had a total skull length of about 70cm (700mm). [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. Eye size is an important adaptation in predators and nocturnal animals because a larger eye ratio poses a higher sensitivity and resolution. The sampled elements consisted of neck frill, femur, tibia, fibula, ribs, humerus and radius bones, and showed that the histology of Protoceratops remained rather uniform throughout ontogeny. 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. [37] However, although the initial perception was that the entire skin-like layer had been removed, photographs shared by Czepiski during the same year have revealed that the right side of the skull remains intact, retaining much of this layer and pending further analysis. Most notably, the team discovered the first fossilized dinosaur eggs near the holotype of Oviraptor and given how abundant Protoceratops was, the nest was attributed to this taxon. [31], In 2018 Tereshchenko examined and described several articulated cervical vertebrae of P. andrewsi and reported the presence of two abnormally fused vertebrae (specimen PIN 3143/9). Until the 1920's, palaeontologists (that's fossil scientists) thought that all dinosaurs lived in swamps and forests. hellenikorhinus. [8], The specimen shortly became notorious and was nicknamed the Fighting Dinosaurs. 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. [7] During the 1960s to 1970s, Polish-Mongolian and Russian-Mongolian paleontological expeditions collected new, partial to complete specimens of Protoceratops at this locality, making this dinosaur species a common occurrence in Tugriken Shireh. As a whole, the skull had four pairs of fenestrae (skull openings). [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. Thanks to the large collection of skulls found in the expeditions, they concluded that Protoceratops represented a ceratopsian more primitive than ceratopsids and not an ankylosaur-ceratopsian ancestor. Both predentary and dentary had a series of foramina (small pits), the latter mostly on its anterior end. Its name means "ornate horned face" - so named because of all of the horns it contained on its head and face. Protoceratops pronunciation: Protoceratops can be read as, "pro-toe-ker-ah-tops". 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. Their neural spines were broad, not coosified, and rather consistent in length. [55][68] Although P. andrewsi was the predominant protoceratopsid on this formation, tentative remains of P. hellenikorhinus have been reported from the Udyn Sayr and Bor Tolgoi localities, suggesting that both species co-existed. [100] P. andrewsi is also abundant at Udyn Sayr,[76][56] where Avimimus and Udanoceratops have been recovered. They also pointed out that while taxa such as Leptoceratops and Montanoceratops are recovered from fluvial sediments, they are estimated to be some of the poorest swimmers. The forelimbs of Protoceratops could sprawl laterally but not for quadrupedal locomotion, which was accomplished with the elbows tucked in. The two last dorsal ribs were the smallest, and the last of them was in contact with the internal surfaes of the ilium. 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