TRICERATOPS
One of the most famous dinosaurs, Triceratops horridus (try-s-air-a-tops horrid-us) is part of the iconic holy trinity including Brontosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex. These three creatures stand above the rest thanks to size and ferocity. Another larger species, Triceratops prorsus (I don't know how to say it), is recognized but might just represent male specimens of Triceratops horridus.
Original Discovery
Triceratops was first discovered in 1889 by famous paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh. The original fossil remains consisted of the two large horns. Soon complete skulls started turning up. Marsh named the animal Triceratops horridus, a name that means "horrible three horned face". Triceratops quickly became a star in the world of paleontology. Every paleontologist wanted to have their own species of Triceratops. This led to 16 different Triceratops species being recognized. As time has passed, that number has dropped to two valid species.
Physical Appearance
Fossil skulls indicate that Triceratops would have changed dramatically as it matured, with babies looking strikingly different from juveniles, and juveniles looking entirely different from the adults. Baby Triceratops would have hatched looking like the animal below. These young individuals would have had almost no horns or neck frill, and eyes dis-proportionally large compared to the rest of their body.
Juveniles would have looked like the animal below, with the beginnings of a neck frill and horns that pointed away from the front of the head. Their neck frills would have had a row of triangle shaped horns running along its edge.
Young adult Triceratops would have looked like the classic Triceratops that we all know and love (shown below). However, this might not represent the final growth stage of Triceratops.
Triceratops was not the only large horned dinosaur living in ancient Montana. A creature called Torosaurus (tore-O-sore-us) is known from the same time and area. It is remarkably similar to Triceratops. This has led some scientist to the conclusion that Torosaurus represents the fully mature form of Triceratops.
The only thing keeping Torosaurus as its own distinct species is a minor difference in the skulls of the two animals. The frill of Torosaurus has two large holes in it. Triceratops lacks these holes in its skull. However, paleontologist John "Jack" Horner belives that the starts of these holes are present in Triceratops. Some Triceratops frills show thinning in same areas that Torosaurus has holes. If the frill thinning in Triceratops is the beginning of the large holes seen in Torosaurus, then it is highly likely that Torosaurus will cease to exist as its own species.
Ecology
Triceratops lived in the Hell Creek Formation, an area that spans from eastern Montana through the western Dakotas. The animals in this region included giant herbivores like Ankylosaurus (an-kye-low-sore-us) and Anatosaurus (a-nat-toe-sore-us), small omnivores like Struthiomimus (st-Ruth-E-O-my-mus) and Anzu (Anne-zoo), small carnivores like Archeroraptor (are-chair-O-rap-tore) and Dakotaraptor (Dakota-rap-tore), and giant carnivores like Tyrannosaurus and Quetzalcoatlus (khet-zal-co-awt-lus). All of these possible predators meant that life for a Triceratops would have been dangerous.
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Triceratops most likely lived in small groups, similar to modern day male elephants. It is likely that these groups would have been predominantly comprised of female animals, perhaps with one bull being present to lead the herd and defend the young. Other males would have lived in separate groups or on their own, again similar to modern elephants.
Extinction
65 million years ago, an asteroid at least 6 miles wide smashed into the Gulf of Mexico. It launched a giant cloud of ash into the earth's atmosphere. This ash cloud blocked out sunlight on a global scale. Without sunlight, plants died, causing a complete collapse of ecosystems across the planet. With no plants to eat, Triceratops died out.
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Image Credits
All images have been cropped to fit the space required
All images are used under Fair Use laws
Image credits are listed from top to bottom and from left to right
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Triceratops
Original screenshot by: Liekeze
Taken in game: The Isle
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Triceratops Skeleton
Original photo by: Liekeze
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Triceratops Growth Stages
Original image by: University of California Museum of Paleontology
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Baby Triceratops
Original screenshot by: Liekeze
Taken in game: Prehistoric Kingdom Demo
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Juvenile Triceratops
Original screenshot by: Liekeze
Taken in game: Prehistoric Kingdom Demo
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Young Adult Triceratops
Original screenshot by: Liekeze
Taken in game: Prehistoric Kingdom Demo
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Torosaurus
Original photo by: I'm sorry, but I could not find an owner.
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Triceratops Skull
Original image by: University of California Museum of Paleontology
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Happy New Year from Hell Creek
Original artwork by: Durbed
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Dead Triceratops
Original artwork by: Akeiron