Protoceratops was a small herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur of the Late Cretaceous era that measured some 1.8 meters (5.9 ft) in length. It lived in the dry and arid regions of what are now Mongolia and China and its sharp beak and teeth helped it cope with the dry and tough vegetation on which it fed. The neck shield is believed to have been for species recognition or display in mating ritual. Protoceratops was preyed on by Velociraptors.