Dinosaur genus
Protoceratops
Protoceratops is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 100.5–66 million years old, in Mongolia and China.
medium
medium: Only Wikidata gives this; nothing contradicts it.Confidence labels are switched off. Facts with low confidence, or where sources disagree, still carry a small dot: tap it for the reason.
At a glance
Data as of 5 October 2026- Named by
- Granger and Gregory 1923
high
high: PBDB and Wikidata agree.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Described in
- W. Granger, W. K. Gregory (1923). Protoceratops andrewsi, a pre-ceratopsian dinosaur from Mongolia, with an appendix on the structural relationships of the Protoceratops beds. American Museum Novitates 72: 1–9.
high
high: PBDB gives this publication for the name; its author and year match the naming authority (Granger and Gregory 1923), on which PBDB and Wikidata agree.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. The publication the Paleobiology Database gives as the authority for this genus name, usually the one that first named and described it.
- Lived
- Aptian to Campanian, 121.4–72.2 million years ago
disputed
low: Sources disagree and an editor has not ruled yet.Omnisaura calculation100.5–66 million years ago, from its dated fossil recordsmedium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 32 confirmed PBDB records.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Fossils found in
- MongoliaChina
high
high: NHM and PBDB both record it.medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (7 records).mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).
- Rock formations
- DjadokhtaBaruungoyot
high
high: An Omnisaura editor ruled on it.Bayan Mandahumedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (4 records).Miaogoumedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (5 records).Wulansuhailow
low: Only one PBDB record.low
low: Only one PBDB record.mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database; Omnisaura editorial; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.
- Family
- Protoceratopsidae
disputed
low: Sources disagree and an editor has not ruled yet.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Parent group
- Protoceratopsidae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Order
- Ornithischia
medium
medium: Only NHM gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Gap filled from NHM.
- Species named in its records
- Protoceratops andrewsi, Protoceratops hellenikorhinus
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (the species its fossil records are identified as).
- Older or other names
- Bainoceratops (a junior synonym)
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (names it treats as this genus).
- Diet
- herbivore (inferred for its group)
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this, and it infers it for the whole of Ceratopsia, the group this genus belongs to, not from this genus's own fossils.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB, inferred from a group the genus belongs to.
- Way of life
- ground dwelling (inferred for its group)
low
low: PBDB infers this way of life for the whole of Ceratopsia; behaviour is rarely known for one genus.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB, inferred from a group the genus belongs to.
- Known from
- Bones
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).
Gaps are answers
What isn't known yet
- Type species: no source we use gives it yet.
- What it was named after: no source we use gives it yet.
- Held back: 5 fossil records left out: identified only tentatively (for example "cf.", "?" or the name in quotation marks).
- Resting on one source: 4 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): parent group (PBDB); order (NHM); common names (Wikidata); diet (PBDB).
Size and appearance aren't covered yet, and diet and way of life only as PBDB infers them for the wider group. Omnisaura leaves the rest out rather than guess.
Where sources disagree
2 openFamily
- ProtoceratopsidaePBDB (shown above)
- CeratopsidaeNHM
The sources give different values. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.
Age
- 121.4–72.2 MaPBDB
- 100.5–66 MaNHM specimens
The ages of the records reach well beyond the published range. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.
Did it meet…?
Same time, different places. Their fossils overlap in age, 83.6 to 66 million years ago, but no rock formation holds both.
Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.
Connections
Genera linked to Protoceratops by where and when their fossils were found, by classification and by who named them. Select a name to open its page.
Same rocks, same time 37
Genera found in the same rock units, from rocks of overlapping age, the most shared fossil sites first.
Same family: Protoceratopsidae 2
Other genera in Protoceratopsidae with a full profile.
Found in Mongolia 68
Other genera found in Mongolia, from rocks of overlapping age, the most fossil sites there first.
Credits
Where this page comes from
- Omnisaura editorialOmnisaura editorial content (© Future Sailors, all rights reserved) · data
- Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
- Natural History Museum Data PortalCC0 1.0 · catalogued specimens
- WikidataCC0 1.0 · names and identifiers
- OmnisauraOmnisaura editorial · confidence levels and gaps
- PaleoMAP PaleoCoastlines (Kocsis and Scotese 2021)CC BY 4.0 · ancient coastlines on the small map
- Natural EarthPublic domain · today's coastlines
Pictures linked from this page are credited beside each one, with their own licences; the full list is in the JSON download.