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Study finds triceratops’ huge nose helped control body temperature

A recent study found Triceratops', an iconic horned dinosaur's, large nose helped control body temperature and moisture, with Project Research Associate Dr. Seishiro Tada of the University of Tokyo Museum investigating.
Scientists wanted to know why Triceratops had an unusually large nose given gaps in knowledge about its internal anatomy, so Tada used tools to explore internal soft tissues of skulls.
Using CT scans of fossilized Triceratops skulls, the team compared structures with birds and crocodiles to reconstruct soft tissues, revealing thin, curled nasal surfaces and unusual nasal nerves and blood vessels.
The findings change how scientists view physiological roles of large nasal cavities, as the researchers say their work fills the final piece of soft-tissue investigation for horned dinosaurs and Tada cautioned Triceratops probably wasn’t fully warm-blooded but used nasal structures for temperature and moisture control.
Despite uncertainty, the study reported a respiratory turbinate in Triceratops' nose, rare in dinosaurs but present in birds and mammals, with nasal branch routing of nerves and vessels supporting its big nose.

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