15.3" Dinosaur (Torosaurus) Frill Shield Edge Piece - Montana

Torosaurus was a large herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur from the late Cretaceous of North America, approximately 68-66 million years ago. Torosaurus was roughly the same size as its close relative and contemporary, Triceratops, around 25-30 feet (8-10 meters) and 5-9 tons at adult size. The major differences between the two mainly lie in Torosaurus's unique skull. Its skull was much longer than Triceratops', measuring 8-10 feet in length. Torosaurus also had two large openings in the ceratopsid frill it possessed, making it lighter. Some believe that Torosaurus and Triceratops are synonymous animals, since aside from the skull they share most if not all distinguishing traits. However, the current consensus among paleontologists is that they are two seperate genera, since their geographic habitats didn't perfectly coincide and both adult and subadult members of both genera have been found.

Because of its age and sedimentary composition, the Hell Creek Formation has become one of the most paleontologically studied areas in the world. 158 genera of animals and 64 genera of plants are known from the formation and new discoveries are made frequently. In addition to Tyrannosaurs, Ceratopsids, and Hadrosaurs, the formation has yielded remains of amphibians, reptiles, lizards, snakes and turtles, fish and sharks, avian and non-avian dinosaurs, and mammals. The Hell Creek Formation gives the most complete understanding of the environment just before the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction.