Triceratops prorsus (2)

Triceratops prorsus

Hell Creek Fm., Harding Co., SD, USA

3.5 cm height

On the ranch where this tooth was found, only T. prorsus skulls have been found in the 30+ years the company has operated there, lending a very probable, precise identification for this Ceratopsian tooth. (T. prorsus was one of the last dinosaurs, younger than T. horridus. The two species are also stratigraphically separated in the Hell Creek Fm., so it makes sense that one may only find one species in a particular deposit.) For most Ceratopsid teeth (from the Hell Creek Fm., for example), only association with an identifiable skull can allow for identification beyond Ceratopsidae indet.

Fossil in Collections: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/collections-database/chordata/dinosaurs/triceratops-prorsus-tooth-r2122/