Torosaurus << tawr oh SAWR uhs >> was a dinosaur that had one of the largest heads of any land animal that ever lived. Overall, its huge skull could exceed 8 feet (2.4 meters) in length. A large, thin, bony shield called a frill stood at the back of the skull, making up more than half the skull’s area.
Torosaurus’s frill was fragile and covered with skin. The bone of the frill had two holes in it. These holes might have appeared as colorful spots when the skin covering them became flushed with blood. The holes give the dinosaur its name, which comes from Greek words meaning pierced lizard.
Torosaurus also had three forward-pointing horns on its head, consisting of a short one on its snout and two longer ones above each eye. The horns over the eyes grew more than 3 feet (90 centimeters) long. Scientists believe Torosaurus used its horns and frill to defend itself, to frighten enemies, and to attract mates.
Torosaurus looked much like Triceratops. Both dinosaurs resembled a modern rhinoceros. In fact, some scientists think that Torosaurus may be simply the adult form of Triceratops. But other scientists think that the two dinosaurs are distinct.Torosaurus had a bulky, barrel-shaped body with four short, powerful legs and a short tail. The animal weighed from 5 to 8 tons (4.5 to 7.3 metric tons) and measured between 21 and 25 feet (6.4 and 7.6 meters) in length. It walked on all fours and stood about 7 feet (2.1 meters) tall at the hips.
Torosaurus lived between 70 million and 65 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous Period. The dinosaur fed on plants with its parrotlike beak and numerous shearing teeth. These teeth enabled it to eat even tough plant matter, including small branches. The dinosaur inhabited forested coastal plains in what is now North America.
Scientists first unearthed Torosaurus fossil remains in Wyoming during the late 1800’s. Since then, specimens have been found in other western areas of the United States and Canada.
