Torosaurus
genus of reptiles (fossil) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Torosaurus (meaning "pierced lizard") was a large, quadrupedal, plant-eating Ceratopsian dinosaur with three horns on its large head. Torosaurus hatched from eggs and may have lived in herds.
Torosaurus lived during the Upper Cretaceous, about 70–65 million years ago, in what is now western North America. It was similar to Triceratops. Some had thought that Triceratops was a younger form of Torosaurus.[1][2][3]
However, latest thinking is that the two are definitely different genera.[4] In 2011, 2012 and 2013, studies of outside features of known specimens decided that shape and development differences mean the two genera are not synonyms. The main problems in the "one genus" idea are: [5][6][7]
- A lack of good transitional forms,
- The apparent existence of authentic Torosaurus subadults, different skull proportions independent of maturation
- The hole formation at an adult stage is not part of a normal ceratopsian growth sequence.
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References
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