| Here we have the Torosaurus, a dinosaur that has the largest skull of any known land animal. And people say I have a big head. |
Torosaurus is a genus of ceratopsid dinosaur that originated from Late Cretaceous North America. Possessing one of the largest skulls seen in terrestrial animals, Torosaurus fossils are first unlocked on Isla Tacaño then excavated in the Lance Formation, Laramie Formation, Hell Creek Formation, and Frenchman Formation.
History
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The following information is based on Jurassic Park: The Game and is not confirmed canon. |
Working for the original Jurassic Park in 1993, Dr. Laura Sorkin discovered that Torosaurus is only an adult form of Triceratops rather than a distinct genus.[1]
End of information based on Jurassic Park: The Game.
Characteristics
Among the larger ceratopsians and notable for having one of the largest skulls the world has ever seen, measuring up to 2.7 meters in length, Torosaurus is a herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur that lived across the western interior of North America. Torosaurus has a large bulky body, a wide, sweeping frill, and three horns; one on its snout and two above its eyes. Similar in size and appearance to its relative, Triceratops, Torosaurus measures nearly eight meters in length and weighs up to six tons, requiring a huge amount of vegetation every day for sustenance. Its beak and shearing teeth allowed it to eat tough vegetation like palms and horsetails. Fossil remains have shown that its neck frill on its skull contained two large holes, lending the genus its name, which translates to "Perforated Lizard". It has been suggested that Torosaurus is actually a mature form of Triceratops, but this hasn't been proven as yet. The dinosaur's base cosmetic genome is mostly a pale grey with some dark grey markings on its back and light reddish spots surrounded by white rings on its frill.
Unlocked midway through the main campaign, Torosaurus has average requirements and is otherwise relatively easy to take care of.
Behaviour
Like all other ceratopsians, Torosaurus will engage in a death duel with large and medium carnivores such as Tyrannosaurus and Metriacanthosaurus if provoked.
Torosaurus is a somewhat social animal and requires at least one more of its own kind to maintain a healthy comfort level but otherwise has a low maximum social and population limit. Additionally, Torosaurus is capable of living somewhat peacefully alongside small carnivores such as Proceratosaurus and Velociraptor, only occasionally engaging in non-fatal territorial fights.
Torosaurus will, as all herbivores do, socialize with others of its own species on occasion, but otherwise behaves very similarly to other ceratopsians.
Paleontology
The discovery of Torosaurus occurred in 1891, when two large complete skulls with perforated frills were unearthed in south-eastern Wyoming by the so-called "king of collectors", John Bell Hatcher, and has been found throughout the North American continent from Texas to Saskatchewan. It was one of the last dinosaurs living in the Late Cretaceous prior to the KT mass extinction. In recent years, the Torosaurus genus has come under scrutiny as, since 2009, a study concluded that Torosaurus and Triceratops were the same dinosaur, with Torosaurus being a more mature form of Triceratops. This theory has been subject to much scrutiny in the following years but remains controversial and potentially disproven.[2] However, the holes established it as a separate genus from Triceratops, a similar dinosaur that had been discovered two years earlier, and renowned paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh named the new genus Torosaurus.
With the animal itself rivalling the size of Triceratops, Torosaurus is known for possessing one of the largest skulls of any terrestrial animal, measuring 9.1 feet (2.77 m) in length.
Paleoecology
Torosaurus dates back around 72-65 million years to the Late Cretaceous period in North America. There, it lived in herds and existed alongside a variety of other dinosaurs such as the armored Ankylosaurus, the ornithopods Edmontosaurus and Thescelosaurus, the pachycephalosaurs Pachycephalosaurus, Stygimoloch, and Dracorex, the ornithomimid Struthiomimus, the fellow ceratopsian Triceratops, and the massive apex predator Tyrannosaurus.
In terms of its environment, the vast range of Torosaurus indicates that it lived in a variety of environments, including subtropical inland, coastal regions, and semi-arid plains - although, they would have favored areas with ranging brush and ground cover.
Available genomes
| Fossil icon | Dig site | Quality | Number available |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Frenchman Formation | ★ ★★ ★★★ |
1 3 2 |
| Hell Creek Formation | ★★★ ★★★★ |
4 2 | |
| Lance Formation | ★ ★★ ★★★ ★★★★ |
1 3 2 4 | |
| Laramie Formation | ★★★ ★★★★ |
4 2 |
Skins
Gallery
References
- ↑ Jurassic Park: The Game [Video game]. (2011). Telltale Games.
- ↑ Bowdler, Neil. (March 1, 2012). Triceratops and Torosaurus dinosaurs 'two species, not one' BBC. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
External links
- Torosaurus on Wikipedia
