Triceratops was a massive animal, comparable in size to an African elephant, according to a 2011 article in the journal Cretaceous Research. It grew up to 30 feet (9 meters) and weighed well over 11,000 pounds (5,000 kg) — some large specimens weighed nearly 15,750 pounds (7150 kg).
It had strong limbs to move and support its massive body. The forelimbs, which were shorter than the rear ones, each had three hooves; the rear limbs had four hooves each. A 2012 study in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B suggested that Triceratops had an upright posture like an elephant's, rather than a sprawling, elbows-out posture like a lizard's.
The head of Triceratops was among the largest of all land animals, some making up one-third of the entire length of the dinosaur's body. The largest skull found has an estimated length of 8.2 feet (2.5 meters), according to Scannella's 2010 Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology study.
Triceratops had three horns: two massive ones above its eyes, and a smaller horn on its snout. The two brow horns appear to have twisted and lengthened as a Triceratops aged, according to a 2006 study in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. During a Triceratops' juvenile years, its horns were little stubs that curved backward; as the animal continued to grow into young adulthood, the horns straightened out; finally, the horns curved forward and grew up to 3 feet long (1 meter), probably after the dinosaur reached sexual maturity.
It is likely Triceratops' horns and frill were used in combat against other Triceratops, as well as for visual display (mating, communication and species recognition), according to a 2009 PLOS ONE study.
The dinosaur also used its horns and frill in fights against its main predator, tyrannosaurs. Paleontologists have uncovered brow horn and skull Triceratops bones that were partially healed from tyrannosaur tooth marks, suggesting the Triceratops successfully fended off its attacker, according to a study published in the book "Tyrannosaurus rex, the Tyrant King" (2008, Indiana University Press). But T. rex bite marks on other Triceratops bones suggests the carnivore did sometimes feed on the horned dinosaur, a 1996 Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology study suggests.
Instead of being smooth, the skin of Triceratops, at least around its tail, may have been covered in bristle-like formations, similar to the ancient ceratopsian Psittacosaurus..
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