Torosaurus was a member of the famous ceratopsian family, and shared land with its more famous cousin Triceratops. Torosaurus roamed the land in search for food, while also always on the look-out for predators like Tyrannosaurus. But if they encountered a predator, their horns would usually deter them to avoid injury.

Basic info

Meaning of name: Torosaurus means "pierced lizard".

Time of existence: Torosaurus lived during the late Cretaceous, 72.1 million to 66 million years ago.

Diet: Torosaurus fed on plants, from shrubs to low hanging conifers to flowers.

Threats: Young Torosaurus were in danger of being preyed upon by smaller predators like Dromaeosaurus. Adults, on the other hand, had to watch out for Tyrannosaurus and other large predators. Their main defense was their horns and frills, but during fights between each other, those horns could be lost, leaving them vulnerable.

A Torosaurus stands off against a Tyrannosaurus

Size: Torosaurus grew from 25 to 30 feet long.

Attributes: Like its more famous cousin, Torosaurus had large horns that were used for both defense and fighting for mating rights. Their frills protected their necks from being extremely easy targets. Torosaurus also had beaks that they used to tear food.

A Torosaurus with her young

Appearances in the Walking with... series

Episode 1-New Blood

Two Torosaurus are seen fighting in the opening synopsis.

Episode 6-Death of a Dynasty

Torosaurus is a recurring animal seen throughout the episode. We first see a herd of Torosaurus wandering over an ashy scrubland, with the narrator stating that they are principle prey items for Tyrannosaurus. Two Torosaurus are seen squaring off, flushing their frills with blood to try to intimidate each other, as it is their rut, and they are trying to avoid conflict. For this pair, the display is enough to settle the argument, and the loser runs off as the winner shakes his head. Another pair, however, engage in a duel, using their horns to push each other around. One of the older male's horns is snapped off, and he runs away shrieking while shaking his head in pain, leaving a bloody stump where his horn once was, and his horn lying on the ground. The victor roars to announce himself as the winner.

Two Torosaurus dueling

A few months later, night falls, and a Torosaurus herd is seen wandering, searching for food, oblivious to the meteor shower that foreshadows their doom above them. The young stay in the middle of the herd, wary of nocturnal predators. The Torosaurus are stalked by a pair of Dromaeosaurus, who attempt to split the youngsters from the herd. The adults roar and shake their heads to intimidate the Dromaeosaurus, but one youngster is seperated and is bitten by one of them, although it is able to escape back into the middle of the herd. The Torosaurus and Dromaeosaurus continue to fight all night, and come morning, it is revealed the young Torosaurus did not survive the attack, its carcass stripped to the bone. The herd briefly mourns before heading off, continuing their search for food. This is a heavy blow, however, as too few young are being born. A Didelphodon arrives to scavenge what's left of the carcass as the herd marches onward, unaware of their coming doom. Torosaurus is seen once more moments before the asteroid impacts Earth, where the herd continues wandering, although they seem to sense something is off. Along with all the dinosaurs, Torosaurus would never be seen again.