Scientists Discover New Horned Dinosaur From Canada Called Xenoceratops
Posted on November 9, 2012
Scientists have announced the discovery of a new horned dinosaur from Alberta, Canada called Xenoceratops foremostensis. The dinosaur, which roamed Cananda 78 million years ago, was identified from fossils originally collected in 1958. The scientists say it is the oldest known large-bodied horned dinosaur. Xenoceratops was a plant-eating dinosaur that was 20 feet long and weighed over 2 tons.
Dr. Michael Ryan, curator of vertebrate paleontology at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and lead author of the study, said in a release, "Starting 80 million years ago, the large-bodied horned dinosaurs in North America underwent an evolutionary explosion. Xenoceratops shows us that even the geologically oldest ceratopsids had massive spikes on their head shields and that their cranial ornamentation would only become more elaborate as new species evolved."
The name Xenoceratops means "alien horned-face." The Xeno or "alien" portion of the name was picked for the unusual pattern of horns on its head. Two of the horns were located just above its eyes. Xenoceratops also had a parrot-like beak.
Here is a video about the new dinosaur from Dr. Ryan's dinosaur lab in at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Dr. Ryan also reveals that more horned dinosaur discoveries are on the way. Take a look:
A research paper about the new discovery was published here in the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences.