The name Triceratops means "three-horned face." That fits. This dinosaur had three horns on its face. Two long horns stuck out above its eyes. One short horn sat on its nose. Behind the horns was a bony frill. It could grow to about 30 feet long. It weighed several tons. As of November 2026, estimates range from about 5 to 10 tons.

Its skull was one of the largest of any land animal. A grown-up skull was often at least 6 feet long. What did it eat? It was a plant-eater and did not eat meat. It probably ate low-growing plants. Its jaws had rows of teeth in the back. These teeth cut up tough plants.

Triceratops lived in North America. This was about 68 to 66 million years ago. Many of its fossils have been found in Montana's Hell Creek rocks. Where else did it live? It lived in what is now Colorado. In August 2017, a construction crew in Thornton, Colorado, found a Triceratops. Tyrannosaurus rex lived at the same time and place.

What were the horns for? Scientists think it used them to fight other Triceratops. It may also have used them against predators such as Tyrannosaurus. Its fossils are usually found one at a time. This suggests that many lived alone. Babies had short, straight horns above the eyes. These grew long and curved as they grew up.

Who gave it its name? Othniel Charles Marsh named Triceratops in 1889. At first he thought the horn bones belonged to a giant bison. Two states picked it as their own. Triceratops is the official state dinosaur of Wyoming. It is also the state fossil of South Dakota. Scientists think it died out with all the other non-bird dinosaurs. This was after an asteroid hit near Mexico.

Words to know

• frill: bony neck shield
• fossils: bones in rock
• predators: animals that hunt
• asteroid: space rock

The short version

Triceratops was a plant-eating dinosaur with three horns on its face and a bony frill behind them. It lived in North America about 68 to 66 million years ago and could grow to about 30 feet long. Scientists think it used its horns to fight other Triceratops.

Quick facts

• Triceratops means "three-horned face."
• It could grow to about 30 feet long and weighed several tons.
• It lived about 68 to 66 million years ago in North America.
• Othniel Charles Marsh named Triceratops in 1889.
• Triceratops is the official state dinosaur of Wyoming.