Introducing itself among the peculiar dinosaurs to ever roam the Earth, the latest addition dons stunning (albeit slightly risky) headgear that could compete with high-end fashion creations. Lociceratops rangiformis, a new dinosaur hailed as one of the largest and most ornate ceratopsians ever unearthed.
Standing out with never-before-seen features, this ceratopsian boasts gigantic, curved, blade-like horns on the underside of its frill, setting a record for the largest horns seen on a ceratopsian species.
With an asymmetrical spike in the middle of its frill and the absence of a nose horn, this dinosaur challenges the norms observed in other horned dinosaurs.
The name of the dinosaur, Lociceratops, pays homage to the Norse god Loki for the blade references and categorizes the creature as a ceratopsian. Unlike the well-known Triceratops, Lociceratops rangiformis roamed the Earth at least 12 million years before the Triceratops.
Named after the caribou ( Rangiformis), this new dinosaur bears significance due to its unique, asymmetrical spines reminiscent of a caribou or reindeer’s antlers.
Unearthed in 2019 in the badlands of northern Montana, USA, near the Canadian border, this ceratopsid survived more than 78 million years ago in the swamps and floodplains of modern-day mountains. Despite its imposing appearance with blade-like horns, it sustained as a herbivore, potentially falling prey to predators like the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Ceratopsians, evolving during the Late Cretaceous period around 92 million years ago, exhibited remarkable ornamental features and horn patterns. Lociceratops rangiformis belonged to a lineage of dinosaurs present on the island continent of Laramidia (present-day North America), evolving rapidly before the mass extinction of dinosaurs.
Describing the new discovery as an epitome of eccentricity in ceratopsian head ornaments, paleontologists, led by Joseph Sertich, emphasized how flashy displays contributed to the diverse ecosystem during the Cretaceous period. The recent fossil findings challenge the existing notions of dinosaur diversity, suggesting that five species of ceratopsian, including Lociceratops rangiformis, coexisted during this era.
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Source: www.sciencefocus.com
