Triceratops horridus

A plant-eater, Triceratops roamed the plains of North America during the Late Cretaceous Period, 68 to 66 million years ago. Its frilled skull and horns protected it from predators and were used for courtship and dominance displays. Triceratops means three-horned face, and the horns above the eyes were about a metre long. It belongs to the ceratopsian group of horned dinosaurs. Complete skeletons are exceptionally rare, but numerous partial specimens have helped palaeontologists to piece together the appearance of this remarkable creature. Triceratops probably grew up to nine metres long, at least a quarter of which was its skull. It used its powerful beak and scissor-like teeth to cut and chop tough plants such as cycads and palms.