Dino card No. 1819 of 2,027

Torosaurus

Say it: TOE-roe-SORE-us

Name means: “perforated lizard, because of the large holes in its frill”1

Ate: PlantsHorned dinosLate Cretaceous

Torosaurus was a huge, plant-eating dinosaur with a giant frill on its head. It had the longest skull of any land animal that ever lived, and it may have lived in herds.1 2

Lived

84 to 66 million years ago6

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Western United States (Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Colorado, Utah, Texas, New Mexico) and Canada (Saskatchewan, Alberta)1 3

Food

Plants2

Length

7.5 to 9 m1

Weight

8 tonnes1

Height

2 m4

at the hips

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How tall was it?

at the hips

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 5 cars

as long as 2 cars parked in a rowas long as 50 bananas end to endas heavy as 1.5 elephantsas heavy as 1600 watermelonsabout as tall as a door

How big was Torosaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Torosaurus had a frill that was 2.77 metres (9.1 feet) long, making its skull the longest of any known land animal.1

Its frill had large oval-shaped holes, which is why its name means 'perforated lizard'.1

Torosaurus lived at the same time and place as Triceratops, and some scientists think it might actually be a grown-up Triceratops.1

It weighed about 8 tonnes (18,000 pounds), as much as a big truck.1

Torosaurus fossils are much rarer than Triceratops fossils, which is one reason scientists are still debating about it.1

It had a short, upright horn on its nose, similar to a Triceratops.1

Torosaurus may have lived in social groups, based on bonebeds where several individuals were found together.2

AI-made picture of Torosaurus — An AI-made picture of how Torosaurus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Torosaurus

?Is Torosaurus a dinosaur?

Yes, Torosaurus is a genus of herbivorous chasmosaurine ceratopsian dinosaur.1

?How big was Torosaurus?

Torosaurus measured between 7.5 and 9 metres (25 to 30 feet) long and weighed around 8 tonnes (18,000 pounds), about the same size as a large truck.1 2

?What did Torosaurus eat?

Torosaurus was a herbivore, meaning it ate plants, and it had a beak for grazing.1 2

?When did Torosaurus live?

Torosaurus lived during the late Cretaceous Period, between about 68 and 66 million years ago.1 2

?Is Torosaurus the same as Triceratops?

Some scientists think Torosaurus might be a grown-up Triceratops, but newer research suggests they are separate genera based on differences in skull shape and growth patterns.1 5

?Why does Torosaurus have holes in its frill?

The large oval holes, called fenestrae, in its frill are the reason for the name Torosaurus, which means 'perforated lizard'. Their exact purpose is not known for sure.1

?Where was Torosaurus found?

Torosaurus fossils have been discovered in the western United States and Canada, from Saskatchewan to Texas.1 2

?Did Torosaurus have any predators?

Torosaurus likely faced predators like Tyrannosaurus rex, which lived in the same time and place, but no specific attacks are recorded in the fossil record.1

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Myth buster

Myth: Torosaurus is a different dinosaur from Triceratops.

Truth: Some scientists think Torosaurus might just be the adult form of Triceratops, because the frill changes shape as the animal grows older.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Torosaurus
Named by: Marsh 18916
Group: Horned dinos
Family / clade: Ceratopsidae6
Classification: Ornithischia > Ceratopsia > Ceratopsidae6
Age of the rocks: 84 to 66 million years (Campanian / Maastrichtian)6
Rock formations: Hell Creek, Lance, Javelina6
Countries: USA, Canada6
Fossil records: 12 in the Paleobiology Database6
Discovery: Torosaurus was named by famous paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh in 1891, based on two skulls found in Wyoming by John Bell Hatcher.1
Still debated: Scientists still debate whether Torosaurus is a separate genus or just a fully grown Triceratops.1

Where the facts come from

Torosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Torosaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Torosaurus Fact Sheet (enchantedlearning.com)
Is Torosaurus Triceratops? Geometric Morphometric Evidence of Late Maastrichtian Ceratopsid Dinosaurs | PLOS One (journals.plos.org)
Torosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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