Triceratops Drawings coloring pages

 This is my free coloring pages blog.  This first drawing was posted as part of my Reptiles post 

a few days ago.  The second is a newer drawing of Triceratops that I just finished drawing today. 

Triceratops ignoring Volcano

Triceratops was a large quadrupedal herbivore.  Although considered part of Dinosauria, it is also still considered to possibly have still been a large reptile. It was around 30 feet or 9 meters long and had brow horns the length of broomsticks. These large horns may have been for sexual display, but considering the top predator in North America at the time, those horns were also clearly for defense.  Parallel evolution is when two animals with a relationship evolve together.  In predator-prey relationships, it is thought that size can be involved.  The mammals of the Mesozoic did not evolve into larger animals because they had to be able to burrow and hide from all the dinosaurian predators.  In the case of Triceratops and T. rex, the dinosaurs were hunted and hunter.  AKA predator-prey.  So as the Tyrannosaurs evolved into bigger size the Ceratopsians evolved bigger size and bigger defenses.  Those three horns, especially the brow horns, were evolved defenses.  The frill was also probably part of that defense.  Although considering the strength of T. rex's bite the frill would not be great protection.  But getting stabbed in the gut or in the leg even would have done a number on a predator.  If injured it could not hunt and thus would certainly starve to death unless fed by another member of the pack. 

Triceratops horridus Mother and Calf

Triceratops is the Genus and horridus is the species.  But the odds are that Triceratops horridus was NOT a horrid mother.  In fact, the Ceratopsians clearly lived in herds and almost certainly protected the young - probably by surrounding them like modern bison do  This drawing is the new one in this post. The young of Triceratops or of many of the non-Theropod dinosaurs are called calf or calves. 

To get to the printable version of these Triceratops drawings just click on the button labeled "Paleontology" and scroll down to near the bottom part of the "Mesozoic" section.  Have fun coloring Triceratops! And you can choose the color(s) for the spots etc.