CretaceousHerbivoreTiny
Protoceratops
PRO-to-SAIR-uh-tops
"First horned face"
Overview
Protoceratops was a small early ceratopsian, about the size of a sheep, that lived in the deserts of Late Cretaceous Mongolia. It lacked the large horns of later relatives but had a prominent frill and a parrot-like beak.
Vital Statistics
Length
2 m
Height
0.6 m
Weight
60 kg
Est. Speed
15 km/h
Discovered
1923
Named by
Walter Granger & William Gregory
Countries Discovered
MongoliaChina
Fossil Locations
Leaflet © OpenStreetMap
📍 Gobi Desert, Mongolia
Interesting Facts
Protoceratops was the size of a large dog, unlike its giant relative Triceratops.
The famous 'Fighting Dinosaurs' fossil shows a Protoceratops and Velociraptor locked in mortal combat.
Entire nests of Protoceratops eggs have been found, providing insight into dinosaur reproduction.
The legendary 'griffin' of ancient mythology may have been inspired by Protoceratops skeletons.
Closest Relatives
TriceratopsStyracosaurusCentrosaurusBagaceratops