Scientists have identified a new plant-eating dinosaur species with a very fancy set of horns, providing insights into the evolution of these ancient creatures. Named Lokiceratops rangiformis, this 78-million-year-old dinosaur sported ornate, curving blade-like horns on its bony frill, resembling caribou antlers.
Loki’s Horned Face
The dinosaur’s name, meaning “Loki’s horned face that looks like a caribou,” was chosen by researchers Joseph Sertich and Mark Loewen. Lokiceratops was discovered in 2019 in Montana’s badlands near the Canadian border.
“It’s one of those stories with a happy ending, where it didn’t go to somebody’s mansion,” said Sertich. “It ended up in a museum, where it will be preserved forever so people can study it and enjoy visiting it.”
Largest Frill Horns Ever
At 22 feet long and weighing 5 metric tons, Lokiceratops is the largest horned dinosaur from the centrosaurine group ever found in North America. It boasts the largest frill horns seen on any horned dinosaur but lacks the characteristic nose horn.
“This new dinosaur pushes the envelope on bizarre ceratopsian headgear, sporting the largest frill horns ever seen in a ceratopsian,” Sertich explained. “These skull ornaments demonstrate that evolutionary selection for showy displays contributed to the richness of Cretaceous ecosystems.”
The researchers believe the horns were used for mate selection or species recognition, similar to feather displays in modern birds.
Lokiceratops provides evidence of rapid evolution and high diversity of horned dinosaurs in a small region 78 million years ago. The study presents the most complete family tree of these creatures to date.
“Lokiceratops helps us understand that we only are scratching the surface when it comes to the diversity and relationships within the family tree of horned dinosaurs,” said Loewen.
For more on dinosaur discoveries, check out these resources:
