Saturday, March 31, 2007

Grandfather Triceratops

Here's a little dinosaur news for you. The remains have been found of a missing link in the triceratops family tree. The newly discovered Albertaceratops nesmoi lived about 78 million years ago and it possesses features shared by both triceratops and close relative the centrosaurs (both members of the ceratopsidae family)-

Its forehead sprouted horns as large as human arms, and its skull was frilled with spikes the size of sharks' teeth.

This odd combination of features suggests that Albertaceratops is the most primitive of the centrosaurs, Ryan explained, dating back to before centrosaurs split with the family that includes Triceratops.

In short it seems to be a kind of grandfather to the horned dinosaurs which followed after it.

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