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Protoceratops

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Dinosaurs

   iProtoceratops

                        Fossil range: Late Cretaceous

   Protoceratops skeleton at Wyoming Dinosaur Center.
   Protoceratops skeleton at Wyoming Dinosaur Centre.

                             Conservation status

   Extinct (fossil)
               Scientific classification

   Kingdom:    Animalia
   Phylum:     Chordata
   Class:      Sauropsida
   Superorder: Dinosauria
   Order:      Ornithischia
   Suborder:   Marginocephalia
   Infraorder: Ceratopsia
   Family:     Protoceratopsidae
   Genus:      Protoceratops

                                   Groups

   P. andrewsi (type)
   P. hellenikorhinus

   Protoceratops, (its name meaning 'First Horned Face' derived from the
   Greek proto-/πρωτο- meaning 'first', cerat-/κερατ- meaning 'horn' and
   -ops/-ωψ meaning face) was a sheep-sized (1.5 to 2m long) herbivorous
   ceratopsian dinosaur, from the Upper Cretaceous Period of what is now
   Mongolia. Unlike later ceratopsians, it lacked well-developed horns.

   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.

Discovery and species

   Protoceratops was discovered during the 1920s, in the Gobi desert, in
   Gansu, Inner Mongolia. Many skeletons were discovered by the American
   expedition. the type species, P. andrewsi, was formally described by
   Granger and Gregory in 1923. The fossils date from the Campanian epoch
   of the Upper Cretaceous (83.5 to 70.6 Million Years Ago).
   Protoceratops and Velociraptor in combat
   Enlarge
   Protoceratops and Velociraptor in combat

   In 1971, a fossil was found that captured a Velociraptor clutched
   around a Protoceratops in Mongolia. 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.

   A second species, P. hellenikorhinus, was named in 2001 from the Bayan
   Mandahu formation in Inner Mongolia, China and also dates from the
   Campanian epoch of the Upper Cretaceous. It is notably larger than P.
   andrewsi.

   In the 1920s, Roy Chapman Andrews discovered the first known fossilized
   dinosaur eggs, in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. 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. However, later discoveries
   indicate that the eggs were in fact Oviraptor's own.

   Protoceratops Species
     * P. andrewsi
     * P. hellenikorhinus

Classification

   An embryonic Protoceratops skull.
   Enlarge
   An embryonic Protoceratops skull.
   Protoceratops hatchling.
   Enlarge
   Protoceratops hatchling.

   Protoceratops was the first named protoceratopsian and hence gives its
   name to the family Protoceratopsidae.

Origin of griffin myths

   Folklorist Adrienne Mayor has suggested that skulls of this dinosaur,
   found by ancient peoples, may have been at the root of mythical beasts
   such as the griffin; the horse-like body with the bird-like beak being
   particularly notable . Griffins were also assigned the duty of guarding
   large hoards of treasure, notably gold. The region of Mongolia where
   many protoceratops fossils are found is rich in gold runoff from the
   neighboring mountains, lending credence to the theory that these
   fossils were the basis of griffin myths.

In Popular Culture

   Protoceratops is featured in the Walking With... special The Giant
   Claw, shown nesting. It is also featured in Dinosaur Planet, in which
   Protoceratops eggs were source of food for Velociraptor and Oviraptor.
   Protoceratops also had a brief cameo in The Truth About Killer
   Dinosaurs, fighting two Velociraptor. All of the above documentaries
   show the Protoceratops's relationship with Velociraptor.

Gallery

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protoceratops"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
