Triceratops

"This was one of my favorite dinosaurs when I was a kid and now she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

- Alan Grant

Triceratops is a genus of large ceratopsian (horned and frilled herbivorous dinosaur) that lived in North America; it was one of the most abundant animals about 68-65 million years ago, during the end of the Late Cretaceous period. Three species are currently known, the largest being Triceratops (Eotriceratops according to some scientists) xerinsularis, Triceratops horridus which is the most common, and Triceratops prorsus.

It lived alongside with Tyrannosaurus rex and was among it's main prey. However, unlike other dinosaurs that relied on speed to escape this fearsome predator, Triceratops was well equipped to face with T. rex and even, to fight it off.

Armed with one meter long horns (probably even longer with their protective, sharp sheats that don't fossilize), and a parrot like beak with an incredibly strong bite force, Triceratops is often regarded as being one of the most dangerous herbivorous dinosaurs in Jurassic Park and also, in real life. It could measure up to 8-9 meters long and weigh 6-12 tons, being larger than an elephant and heavier than an average T. rex. In 2009 researchers under supervision of Jack Horner argued that Triceratops was actually a juvenile version of Torosaurus. The massive frill of Triceratops would grow longer and thinner in time, until it had the same holes as seen in Torosaurus (see ).

More real-life information: Triceratops at Wikipedia.

Jurassic Park Series
Triceratops appears in the novels and all three movies. It was also the most famous dinosaur for a long time, second only to T. rex; today, it is likely that Velociraptor has claimed that title. Triceratops also appears in many toy lines and games.

Jurassic Park film
The group met up with park veterinarian Gerry Harding, who was taking care of a sick Triceratops, explaining to the group that he just couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. While Grant and Malcolm marveled at the sight, Ellie managed to figure out that the Triceratops had gotten sick from accidentally ingesting the toxic plant West Indian Iliac, thinking they were gizzard stones. However, this is in a deleted scene.

Triceratops was the size of an elephant, with the truculent stance of a rhino. The horns above each eye curved four feet into the air, looking almost like inverted elephant tusks. A third, smaller, rhino-like horn was located near the nose, above the animal's beak-like snout.

Unlike other dinosaurs, Triceratops couldn't see very well. They were nearsighted, much like the rhinos of today, and tended to be surprised by sudden movements. They'd charge the tour jeeps if they were close enough to see it but the tracks were located a safe distance away.



On Isla Nublar, males would kill each other in fights for dominance and had to be separated into groups smaller than six.

Triceratops have a fan-shaped crest behind their heads, made of solid bone, and is very strong. Despite their appearance, they are actually quite docile. They form relationships with their handlers, much like Indian elephants, and will allow themselves to be petted. They particularly like to be scratched in the hindquarters.

All Triceratops seen so far have been brown in color, although the Triceratops in "The Lost World" board game is blue.

Originally, a baby Triceratops was supposed to appear in the film, but was cut at the last minute. The baby would reappear in The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Many animals were herded along a game trail and eventually captured by the InGen Hunters, and a bull Triceratops was among those captured. Once freed by Nick and Sarah, he attacked the hunters camp, along with the rest of the released dinosaurs. Among the captured dinosaurs a baby Triceratops(possibly the infant of the bull)was seen.

Jurassic Park III
A herd of Triceratops is seen very briefly when the plane flies above the herd of grazing animals which includes Brachiosaurus, Stegosaurus, Parasaurolophus and Corythosaurus.

Trivia

 * Despite being a popular dinosaur and appearing in all three films, Triceratops is seen only for a short time in the films. It only appeared for a few seconds in the 2nd and 3rd films.
 * Triceratops is one of the few dinosaurs to appear in all the first three films. The others are Parasaurolophus, Velociraptor, and, of course, Tyrannosaurus Rex.
 * The number of Triceratops in each film seem to be greater than the ones from previous films. In the first film, there is 1 Triceratops. In the second film there are 2. And in the third, there is a herd.
 * In Jurassic Park III several Triceratops can be seen with Zebra like stripes on them like male Parasaurolophus, these are possinly mature males.

Jurassic Park inspired games

 * Triceratops appears in most Jurassic Park games such as the ones based on the 1993 film.
 * Triceratops appears in many games based on The Lost World: Jurassic Park:
 * In the console game as an enemy in the raptor and T. rex levels.
 * In the arcade game the player must rescue one from being eaten by two raptors. If the player(s) succeed they will go to the next chapter. If they failed, the players must fend off more raptors. Players can also see a Triceratops collapsing to its death (by raptors, judging by its wounds) when a hunter tells the player(s): "they wiped us out!".
 * In the SEGA Genesis game it will only attack if it was hurt, or if there were carnivores nearby.
 * Triceratops appears in Jurassic Park: Trespasser. It first appears in Jungle Road
 * Triceratops is a playable character in Warpath: Jurassic Park who shares the same fighting style with Styracosaurus and has 3 colors: red, green, and purple.
 * Triceratops is a five-star dinosaur in the popular video game, Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis. It can be found in the Hell Creek Site B fossil formation. Triceratops is the only herbivore that needs security higher than "low", as it requires "medium" security fences. It will charge Land Cruisers and kill large carnivores and can be paired with Torosaurus in an enclosure. It is the game's most robust herbivore. Also it can go into "Death Duels" with Tyrannosaurus. Sometimes, the Tyrannosaurus wins, but other times the Trike wins. There are two ways T. rex can be killed by Triceratops. One way is to stab the T. rex repeatedly until the beast falls over and dies, which is common when herds of this animal stab the Tyrannosaurus together. Another way that T. rex can be killed by a Trike is by impaling, in which a Tyrannosaurus stomps on the head shield of the Triceratops-but the Trike impales the Tyrannosaurus through the chest before the T. rex can bite the area behind the neck.
 * In Jurassic Park III: Park Builder, Triceratops is nr. 101 of the Herbivore Threes. Triceratops Lhorn is nr. 102 of the Herbivore Threes.
 * Triceratops is the available dinosaur on the IOS application, Jurassic Park: Builder. It is the first dinosaur you see.

Jurassic Park: The Game
thumb|300px|right Triceratops appears in Telltale's game Jurassic Park: The Game. The herd of Triceratops is first seen in the Welcome to Jurassic Park scenario. Gerry Harding and his daughter Jess are looking at the herd. The Alpha Female of the herd is Lady Margaret, one of the offspring is Bakhita. According to Dr. Laura Sorkin's journal and Dr. Harding's observation of Bakhita, the Triceratops have a fondness for banana leaves.

The animal is seen again in Gate Crashers and Triceratops Trouble.

The Game also features the latest research on Triceratops. Dr. Sorkin's Journal says that "as our Triceratops mature, holes open up in their frill bones. At first I thought it was another nucelotide sequencing error. Now it's clear that Triceratops and Torosaurus are the same species. I'm still not sure why the morphology changes with age like that. Status recognition?"

This is an allusion to Jack Horner's 2009 research that indicates that Triceratops was actually the juvenile form of Torosaurus.