Scientists have unearthed two new species of giant plant-eating horned dinosaur in southern Utah.
The creatures lived some 68 to 99 million years ago and belong to the family known as ceratopsians. “Ceratops” means “horned face” in Greek.
The first dinosaur has been named Kosmoceratops richardsoni and has a total 15 horns on its head. It is the most ornate-headed (or horniest) dinosaur discovered to date. “Kosmoceratops is one of the most amazing animals known, with a huge skull decorated with an assortment of bony bells and whistles,” said Scott Sampson from the Utah Museum of Natural History, the study’s lead author.
The bigger of the pair, dubbed Utahceratops gettyi, has a particularly large horn over his nose. Mark Lowen, one of the authors of the study, told the BBC that the dinosaur resembled “a giant rhino with a ridiculously supersized head.”
“Most of these bizarre features would have made lousy weapons to fend off predators,” said Dr Sampson. “It’s far more likely that they were used to intimidate or do battle with rivals of the same sex, as well as to attract individuals of the opposite sex.”
Seems these dinosaurs were horny in more ways than one.
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