A newly discovered dinosaur species, Lokiceratops, has been identified by palaeontologists. This herbivorous dinosaur, measuring approximately 22 feet (6.7 meters) in length and weighing around 11,000 pounds (5 metric tonnes), stands out for its crown-like, elaborate headgear.
Ancient origins
Dating back 78 million years, Lokiceratops belonged to the centrosaurines group. The specimen was excavated from the badlands of northern Montana and will soon be displayed at the Natural History Museum of Utah. The findings have been published in PeerJ.
All about Lokiceratops
Officially named Lokiceratops rangiformis, meaning “Loki’s horned face that looks like a caribou,” the name honors the Norse god Loki, known for his horned helmet, and references the asymmetrical horn lengths on each side of its frill.
Lokiceratops is part of the ceratopsid family, which first appeared around 92 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period. “A new horned dinosaur found in the Cretaceous badlands of northern Montana reveals unexpectedly high diversity, suggesting elevated speciation rates and regional endemism in members of the group,” Dr. Mark Loewen, co-lead of the study and professor at the University of Utah, told IFLScience.
The fossils indicate that horned dinosaurs were evolving within a confined region along the US-Canada border. Lokiceratops’ headgear features some of the largest frill horns among ceratopsians. “Having a giant head like Lokiceratops required massive neck muscles to balance it on the body and lots of calories to grow as the animal matured,” explained Dr. Loewen. “At the same time, it must have been so impressive to potential mates that it really was worth having such a huge head!”
Challenging assumptions
The discovery of Lokiceratops challenges previous assumptions that no more than two species of horned dinosaurs could coexist. Unlike many of its relatives, Lokiceratops did not have a nose horn, making it a unique find in the ceratopsid family.