The Horned Dinosaurs:

Ceratopsians are the second most abundant group of dinosaurs from the late Cretaceous Period of North America.

The Ceratopsians are known only in Western North America where they lived between 80-65mya. They may, however, eventually be found in Asia (Dodson, 1996).

They were the most diverse group of the plant-eating dinosaurs that existed. Ceratopsians were large, 3.5 to 8 meters long, and habitual quadruped ornithischians, i.e., bird-hipped lizards (Lucas, 1994).

Distinctive evolutionary novelties include very large skulls that had tremendous nostrils, prominent frills, and a variety of horn combinations covering over their noses, eyes and frills.

Triceratops is the most famous genus of the Ceratopsians, and consequently, it will be used as a model for the description of the typical ceratopsid.

(Wenzel, 1997)

Triceratops