Dinosaurs first appeared about 245 million years ago. They dominated the planet until an extinction event wiped out a large swath of life on Earth about 66 million years ago.
This geocache is a tribute to Triceratops, one of the most recognizable dinosaurs of all time!
It lived in the Cretaceous period and inhabited North America. Its fossils have been found in places such as North Dakota, Wyoming and Saskatchewan.
Quick facts about Triceratops:
- Existed from 83.5 million years ago to Maastrichtian Age;
- Lived in a mountain;
- Was a herbivore;
- Reproduced by laying eggs;
- Had a body mass of almost 4 tons;
- 139 different specimens have been found by paleontologists.
Part of what makes a Triceratops so recognizable is its enormous skull, which, with its backward-pointing frill, could easily attain a length of over seven feet and was one-third of its body's weight.
The frill might have helped to protect its neck, could also have been used to attract mates, as a way for members of the same species to recognize each other.
It seems that few dinosaurs just popped up in Bert Flinn Park.
If you see a big head of Triceratops, you're close.
