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Created page with "{{Taxonomy |name=Torosaurus |image= |caption= |domain=Eukaryota |kingdom=Animalia |subkingdom=Bilateria |branch=Deuterostomia |phylum=Chordata |subphylum=Vertebrata |infraphy..."
{{Taxonomy
|name=Torosaurus
|image=
|caption=
|domain=Eukaryota
|kingdom=Animalia
|subkingdom=Bilateria
|branch=Deuterostomia
|phylum=Chordata
|subphylum=Vertebrata
|infraphylum=Gnathostomata
|microphylum=
|superdivision=
|division=
|subdivision=
|superclass=Tetrapoda
|class=Reptilia
|subclass=Diapsida
|infraclass=Archosauromorpha
|superorder=Dinosauria
|order=Ornithischia
|suborder=Cerapoda
|infraorder=Ceratopsia
|superfamily=
|family=Ceratopsidae
|subfamily=Ceratopsinae
|supertribe=
|tribe=Triceratopsini
|subtribe=
|genera=
|genus=Torosaurus
|subgenus=
|species=T. latus<br/>T. utahensis
|binomialname=
|sub=
|alt=
}}
'''Torosaurus''' were two species of ceratopsian (horned) [[dinosaur]], known from fossilized remains found in [[North America]].
==Name==
''Torosaurus'' was discovered by paleontologists in southeastern Wyoming in 1891, and were identified and named by [[Othniel Charles Marsh]]. He apparently named it "bull lizard" after the bull-like appearance of the head; however, others have conjectured that the name instead should be interpreted to mean "pierced" or "perforated", after the large openings in the frill.<ref>http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/facts/Torosaurus/</ref>
==Description==
''Torosaurus'' was the largest ceratopsian, up to 30 feet long with an estimated weight in excess of 6 tons. The forelimbs were shorter than the hindlimbs, yet current measurements indicate ''Torosaurus'' was able to trot and charge much like a modern rhinoceros despite its bulk. The skull was nearly a third of the entire animal's length; at eight feet long it is one of the largest skulls on record from a terrestrial animal. There were three horns, one over each eye and a smaller one on the snout. A frill extended from the back of the skull over the animal's neck to near the shoulders, giving some protection for that area from predators, as well as serving as an anchor for powerful neck muscles. The frill itself bore what has been called the ''fenestræ'', or "windows", large openings within the bone which may have been overlaid by skin.
The mouth was beaked at the fore, leading scientists to speculate that it fed by "nipping" vegetation rather than grazing; the food was then ground down by a battery of simple, yet effective, cheek teeth. They were assumed to have been browsers of low-lying plants.
==Evolutionary claims==
Paleontologists once believed there were several species of ''Torosaurus'', judging from the large number of [[fossil]] remains, but it is now thought that there were just two, ''T. latus'' and ''T. utahensis''; a third species (''T. gladius'') was investigated and found to have been a is-assigned name applied to ''T. latus''. According to evolution, they are descended from ''Psittacosaurus'', a small bipedal ornithopod whose remains were found in central Asia, and from there the ceratopsian line migrated to North America.<ref>''The Complete Book of Dinosaurs'', by Dougal Dixon, Anness Publishing, 2006</ref>
There has been a recent claim that ''Torosaurus'' may be ''Triceratops'', albeit fully mature. According to the ''Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology''<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20012471-501465.html</ref><ref>http://www.vertpaleo.org/publications/index.cfm</ref>, scientists theorize that ceratopsian dinosaurs, like all reptiles, continued to grow with age; this growth included changes to the frill which - according to the theory - changed from the deeply-curved solid bone of ''Tricertops'' into the "straight-backed" frill of ''Torosaurus'', a change of which also involved a ''loss'' of bone creating the ''fenestræ'' as a result. According to Dr. Jack Horner, this process involved "metaplastic" bone which caused a change in the shape of the skull as the animal aged, i.e the backward pointing horns of a baby ''Triceratops'' turning into the forward pointing horns of an adult.<ref>http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091031002314.htm</ref>
Creationists hold that ''Torosaurus'', along with other [[dinosaurs]], were created during the sixth day of [[creation week]], and did not survive the post-flood world. In support of the [[great flood]] catastrophe, all known ''Triceratops'' fossils - including their trackways - were found in sedimentary (water-laid) rock.
==References==
<small><references/></small>
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
|name=Torosaurus
|image=
|caption=
|domain=Eukaryota
|kingdom=Animalia
|subkingdom=Bilateria
|branch=Deuterostomia
|phylum=Chordata
|subphylum=Vertebrata
|infraphylum=Gnathostomata
|microphylum=
|superdivision=
|division=
|subdivision=
|superclass=Tetrapoda
|class=Reptilia
|subclass=Diapsida
|infraclass=Archosauromorpha
|superorder=Dinosauria
|order=Ornithischia
|suborder=Cerapoda
|infraorder=Ceratopsia
|superfamily=
|family=Ceratopsidae
|subfamily=Ceratopsinae
|supertribe=
|tribe=Triceratopsini
|subtribe=
|genera=
|genus=Torosaurus
|subgenus=
|species=T. latus<br/>T. utahensis
|binomialname=
|sub=
|alt=
}}
'''Torosaurus''' were two species of ceratopsian (horned) [[dinosaur]], known from fossilized remains found in [[North America]].
==Name==
''Torosaurus'' was discovered by paleontologists in southeastern Wyoming in 1891, and were identified and named by [[Othniel Charles Marsh]]. He apparently named it "bull lizard" after the bull-like appearance of the head; however, others have conjectured that the name instead should be interpreted to mean "pierced" or "perforated", after the large openings in the frill.<ref>http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/facts/Torosaurus/</ref>
==Description==
''Torosaurus'' was the largest ceratopsian, up to 30 feet long with an estimated weight in excess of 6 tons. The forelimbs were shorter than the hindlimbs, yet current measurements indicate ''Torosaurus'' was able to trot and charge much like a modern rhinoceros despite its bulk. The skull was nearly a third of the entire animal's length; at eight feet long it is one of the largest skulls on record from a terrestrial animal. There were three horns, one over each eye and a smaller one on the snout. A frill extended from the back of the skull over the animal's neck to near the shoulders, giving some protection for that area from predators, as well as serving as an anchor for powerful neck muscles. The frill itself bore what has been called the ''fenestræ'', or "windows", large openings within the bone which may have been overlaid by skin.
The mouth was beaked at the fore, leading scientists to speculate that it fed by "nipping" vegetation rather than grazing; the food was then ground down by a battery of simple, yet effective, cheek teeth. They were assumed to have been browsers of low-lying plants.
==Evolutionary claims==
Paleontologists once believed there were several species of ''Torosaurus'', judging from the large number of [[fossil]] remains, but it is now thought that there were just two, ''T. latus'' and ''T. utahensis''; a third species (''T. gladius'') was investigated and found to have been a is-assigned name applied to ''T. latus''. According to evolution, they are descended from ''Psittacosaurus'', a small bipedal ornithopod whose remains were found in central Asia, and from there the ceratopsian line migrated to North America.<ref>''The Complete Book of Dinosaurs'', by Dougal Dixon, Anness Publishing, 2006</ref>
There has been a recent claim that ''Torosaurus'' may be ''Triceratops'', albeit fully mature. According to the ''Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology''<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20012471-501465.html</ref><ref>http://www.vertpaleo.org/publications/index.cfm</ref>, scientists theorize that ceratopsian dinosaurs, like all reptiles, continued to grow with age; this growth included changes to the frill which - according to the theory - changed from the deeply-curved solid bone of ''Tricertops'' into the "straight-backed" frill of ''Torosaurus'', a change of which also involved a ''loss'' of bone creating the ''fenestræ'' as a result. According to Dr. Jack Horner, this process involved "metaplastic" bone which caused a change in the shape of the skull as the animal aged, i.e the backward pointing horns of a baby ''Triceratops'' turning into the forward pointing horns of an adult.<ref>http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091031002314.htm</ref>
Creationists hold that ''Torosaurus'', along with other [[dinosaurs]], were created during the sixth day of [[creation week]], and did not survive the post-flood world. In support of the [[great flood]] catastrophe, all known ''Triceratops'' fossils - including their trackways - were found in sedimentary (water-laid) rock.
==References==
<small><references/></small>
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]