Triceratops: Leathery and Quilless?
Triceratops (Up-to-Date Version)
Artist: Lawrence Lin
The Triceratops can be split into two species: Triceratops Horridus and Triceratops Prorsus. The one above is Horridus, as it's the more commonly depicted one in the media. The difference between these two lies in their horns and snouts, where Horridus has a longer snout and shorter nasal horn. Although the overall proportion of the triceratops is not much different from before, there are some significant discoveries that differentiate the Triceratops of today from its depiction in the Jurassic Park series. Based on discovered skin impressions, we now know that the Triceratops's skin was extremely rough and scaly, unlike the more leathery depiction before. Additionally, based off these skin impressions and another ceratopsian relative, some paleontologists think that the triceratops may have had quills as the skin impressions have some deep holes in them. Other than these facts, we now also know that the triceratops had keratin covered horns and frill, meaning that the frill would be smooth, unlike the rest of its scaly body. This also means that the horns were likely longer and housed more unpredictable shapes than typically depicted in the media. Overall, the triceratops should now be visualized as a more scaly, rough-skinned animal with a smooth frill and possible quills.
Triceratops Back with Quills (not proven, but suggested)
Jurassic World Evolution Triceratops Back (no quills)
Triceratops Specimen (nicknamed ‘Lane’) at the Houston Museum of Natural Science,” by Agsftw (derivative by MathKnight), licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
“TriceNull.png” (Triceratops transparent skin) — from Jurassic World Evolution Wiki (Fandom), licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, retrieved from static.wikia.nocookie.net.