ExtinctZoo - The Only Dinosaur Known to Have Injured A T. Rex

Episode Date: July 2, 2024

"Not so tough now are you tyrant king" circa 66 Mya

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and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 19th. Tickets on sale now at Yamavat Theater.com, only at Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You in? Must be 21 to enter. If you were to ask a random person on the street who the Tyrannosaurus Rex had the most beef with, there is a fair chance they would say Spinosaurus. This is largely due to Jurassic Park 3, which showed a Spinosaurus offing a T-Rex. And because most people are under the assumption that dinosaurs shown in Jurassic Park actually live together,

it's become somewhat common for people to think that Spinosaurus and T-Rex had death battles on the regular. Also, now that we have this movie, some will think Jiganotosaurus was rumbling with the T-Rex as well. However, neither ever saw the tyrant king nor even came close to, seeing that they were separated by well millions of years. In reality, T-Rex's true nemesis wasn't a theropod at all, rather a herbivore, which to date is the only known animal to have ever caused injury to a T-Rex. This was the T-Seratops. If you have any interest at all in dinosaurs or paleontology, this name should ring many bells,

Because over time it has become an icon itself thanks to its unique appearance and mighty size. Yet ironically, despite having a famous name, it didn't even start out being called triceratops, due to a major misclassification, as paleontologist first thought it was a mammal, of all things. This happened after a pair of brow horns were discovered in 1887 within Colorado. They were eventually sent to famed paleontologist Othneil Marsh, who believed that these horns belong not to a dinosaur but to an ancient bison who hailed from the Pleiocene and and was unique in both shape and size. He dubbed this so-called bison, bison alticornis, and left it at that.

One reason why he may have done this is that at the time no one knew serotopsian dinosaurs even existed. A discovery that would actually come just one year after the brow horns were unearthed, when the same paleontologist introduced the world to serotops, the first horned dinosaur. Within the same year, another monumental event occurred. When a cowboy stumbled upon a monstrous skull sticking out of the same one. a ravine. It, like other horned dinosaur remains, were sent to Marsh who designated them as a brand new seratops species. For one more year after this, nothing really changed. Until that is, by sheer luck, a well-preserved skull that matched the one belonging to this so-called new seratops was located.

The only difference in this skull was that it had all of its horns, which amounted to three, leading Marsh to finally acknowledge that the new serotops species and his bison were not only all the same animal, but also a completely new genus of horned dinosaur, which he aptly named Triceratops, meaning the three-horned face. Its discovery was a huge deal, not only because of the press it generated, but also the role it played in dinosaur classification, with a major group serotopsia being classified as all marginosophalians more closely related to Triceratops than Napakissev, In the cephalosaurus. Within this group, triceratops is thought to fall under the serotopsidae family, and more specifically the triceratopsony tribe, where it is joined by its closest relative, the contemporary

Taurosaurus. Outside of classification, this new dinosaur was a massive hit thanks to his giant skull and strange horns. Plus it helped that new formations with loads of specimens like Hell Creek were being discovered, which also led to their realization that there had once been more than one species, and since the 19th century, over 15 species have been described, but only two are considered valid today, triceratops horridus and triceratops prorosis. From a distance, both would have looked superficially the same, yet they did have their differences, with horridis

typically having a longer snout and shorter nasal horn, while prorosis had the opposite, a shorter snout yet longer nasal horn, although one area that they were very similar in was size. Technically, the largest known specimen dubbed Big John belonged to a hortis, thus giving them a slight edge. But in the grand scheme of things, both species were absolute units. An adult triceratops was among the largest non-saropods of their time, ranging anywhere from 8 to 9 meters or 26 to 30 feet in length, while weighing on average between 6 and 10 tons. Exceptional large individuals were even bigger,

possibly tipping the scales at 12 tons, making them heavier in the Tyrannosaurus itself, and a contender for the largest serotopsian of all time. To give a little perspective on how incredibly heavy this is, a 12-ton triceratops would be equal to six average-sized cars or 120 American men. No doubt this kind of size made matured adults fairly safe within their environments. But because triceratops lived during the age of dinosaurs,

and specifically alongside one of the largest therapods we know of, size alone sometimes wasn't enough, and in turn it had evolved some pretty powerful defenses, one of which was its bones. Many serotopsians had robust builds, yet triceratops was particularly sturdy, having bones that were far more thickened than what's normally seen in dinosaurs.

And this is nicely demonstrated when you compare triceratops femur against a femur belonging to an exceptionally large African elephant. Such robustness would have given it a level of protection against injury and was further enhanced by its position, since it had a low-down body and therefore lower center of gravity. However, not even remarkably thick bones came close to topping the triceratops ultimate defense, which was pretty hard to miss.

It's giant skull. Triceratops possessed one massive head that can make up more than one-third of a specimen's total length, with the largest recorded skulls being 2.5 meters or 8.2 feet long, making them among the largest skulls of any terrestrial animal, despite it not being contender for the title of the large. artist land animal overall. One reason its head was so big was thanks to a widened frill at the top that likely had a multifunctional role, playing a part in both courtship display where it might have been colored, as well as landing a massive hand in defense against large predators. There is fairly

solid evidence that backs the idea of the frill acting as a defensive tool, as it did cover the neck, a highly vulnerable area, and was made up of fibrolamler bone, a special type of bone that is known to rapidly heal once damaged and has the ability to regrow within a short amount of time. The sheer size of the frill may have also played a part at preventing successful attacks, as it could have acted as a form of intimidation. But if the frill failed, a triceratops had one more trick to take out aggressors, its legendary horns. These weapons need no introduction, as they are the triceratops' signature feature and is attributed greatly to its fierce reputation. And rightfully so, considering that all three horns,

were exceptionally sharp and long, with the two situated above its eyes being the largest, sometimes measuring 3.77 feet or 1.15 meters long, equal to the length of two rhino horns stacked on top of one another. And this isn't even taking into account that most paleontologists are certain that in life, triceratops horns were covered in sheaths of keratin, as seen in modern day mammals, implying that they were actually even bigger. Over the years, numerous ideas in the function of these horns have been proposed, with the most popular one being that they were used to combat T-Rex. However, there is immense debate over this claim, and a typically more accepted one is that the

horns were mainly designed for battle, but not battle against theropods, but rather with its own kind. These introspecific duels would have been savage, with triceratops charging at high speeds and tussling about with their horns interlocked. Fights most likely occurred over mating rights or territory, and studies have found that such combat was the rule, not the exception. As a review of Triceratops skulls found that 14% had injuries to the head itself that matched what you would expect from a horn piercing a skull.

Even the most famous Triceratops specimen, Big John, didn't escape the brutal lifestyle that these serotopsians lived, as his skull had a gaping hole in the frill which is thought to have come from a rival, and probably also ended up killing him after the wound became infected. Clearly, despite being betrayed as typically chill herbivores, Triceratops could be quite ferocious with their horns, and coupled with their frill and size, they were one tough cookie, even by Cretaceous standards,

so fierce, in fact, that they would occasionally use their weapons and defenses against their only known predator, the Tyrannosaurus. At the time, the tyrant king was the only carnivore large enough to pose a threat to mature triceratops, And we do know that predation definitely happened, with certain specimens bearing damage to the skull and body that could have only come from a Rex's tooth. However, unlike what most people probably think, the battles between these two were not always one-sided. And to date, Triceratops remains the only dinosaur, or animal for that matter, known to have injured a T-Rex through fossil remains. The most clear case of this is the fossil known as the Dueling Dinosaur's, an extraordinary specimen that consists of a juvenile T-Rex,

and an adult triceratops entangled together in death. It is believed that the two hadn't killed each other at the same time, but rather died from external forces, but from what is currently unknown. Regardless, both were banged up, with the T-Rex actually bearing most of the damage. As the majority of its teeth were shattered, its finger broken and skull cracked, while the Triceratops just had a tooth in it.

Because the Tyrannosaurus was so damaged and a juvenile, some speculate that it was the Triceratops who had been the adjudic. attacker, albeit this is heavily debated. And interestingly enough, another case of potential triceratops on T-Rex violence may have been again the result of an aggressive triceratops. A large adult T-Rex, dubbed Lee Rex, which was 40 feet or 12 meters long, has an interesting hole to the back of its left femur, which resembles a puncture wound. Because of the shape and size of the injury, certain paleontologists believe that a large serotopsian, likely a triceratops, the area where the theropod was found, ran the T-Rex from the back as it was standing up,

indicating a sneak attack. A true prehistoric case of called the ambulance, but not for me. Furthermore, other paleontologists like Peter Dotson believe that in a fair direct confrontation between a bull triceratops and T-Rex, the fight was actually more in favor of the T-Seratops. Naturally, many disagree with this take, but whatever the case, it still stands that Triceratops was well equipped and pretty terrifying in its own way, becoming even more terrifying when you take a peek into its mouth. Now, as you probably know, the triceratops was a herbivore, so it didn't have freakishly sharp or large teeth, but it did have an unnerving amount of teeth overall.

Like many other herbivorous dinosaurs, its teeth were smaller and arranged in dental batteries that allowed it to shear through tough vegetation. In adults, these batteries could have amounted to over 800 teeth at once. than 25 times the amount of teeth we humans have. Triceratops also had a beak that ate in its feeding, with the common idea being that it was used to tenderly strip and pluck leaves. And because triceratops had a low-down body, paleontologists believe that its diet consisted of a mix of cycads, ferns, and palms, which had either accessed directly at ground level

or when it couldn't, it would use its giant body to force the plants to the ground. Such a tactic wasn't special among large herbivores at the time. Yet Triceratops as a package was special, and this is reflected by its sheer dominance within its ecosystem, often being by far the most abundant animal around, sometimes accounting for 69% of the total dinosaur population within certain ecosystems, like the upper Hell creep formation, where in total, Triceratops makes up 40% of all skeletons. And even in general, it's considered one of the most commonly found dinosaurs worldwide, a sign that it truly flourished during the late Cretaceous.

With a dense population like this, you'd expect the Triceratops to have been a social creature, but according to most paleontologists, it actually preferred its personal space. While other horned dinosaurs have been found in large groups that can range anywhere from a couple hundred to a few thousand, the vast majority of Triceratops skeletons are found isolated, suggesting that adults spent most of their lives alone.

This being said, there are a few cases where Triceratops have been found together, with the largest known group consisting of five individuals. So nothing to write home about. However, it still shows that at least some lived together, likely forming family units or sticking together in small groups while young, as another known fossil site consisted of three juveniles. The lack of remains suggesting large herds once again proves that this animal is no joke and didn't have a hard time fending for itself in a world littered with other dinosaurs,

which included in Montosaurus, Torosaurus, Enchylosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Ornithymus, Onzu, Draco Rex, Alamosaurus, and Struthiomimimus. Meanwhile, predators consisted of the T.Rex, of course,

as well as Akero Raptor, Dakota Raptor, Trudontids, and the non-dinosaur, Borealisukas, Chamsasaurus, and Brachychampsa. Other non-dinosaurs included a variety of turtles, mammals, fish, snakes, amphibians, insects, and pterosaurs.

The reason why there was so much life around Triceratops is that it typically lived in lush subtropical forests. They were covered by swamps, lakes, and rivers, allowing for an abundance of life. The most famous of which was the Hell Creek Formation, where Triceratops could have easily been spotted on the regular anytime from 68 to 66 million years ago. Sadly, though, not even its near-perfect adaptations that allowed it to be a dominating force would help it survive. Because, as you all probably know, the triceratops is one of the unlucky few dinosaurs who were around for the KT extinction event, that ended both it and the T-Rex, finally settling their ancient beef.

Interestingly, Triceratops was possibly the last one standing between the two. As for now, a triceratops found 13 centimeters above, the K-PG boundary is considered the youngest dinosaur known to science. One last achievement for this prehistoric. Ambition comes in all shapes and sizes. At First Citizens Bank, we roll with your goals because we're built for what you're building. Fit for your ambition for Citizens Bank. The right window treatments change everything, your sleep, your privacy, the way every room looks and feels. At Blinds.com, we've spent 30 years making it surprisingly simple to get exactly what your home needs. We've covered over 25 million windows and have 50,000 five-star reviews to prove we deliver. Whether you

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