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Dueling Dinos: Fossil Find of the Decade?
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12-11-2011 8:02pm#1It is certainly one of the most spectacular fossils ever found. It is a lot like the Figthing Dinos (Velociraptor and Protoceratops) found in Mongolia, only these were found in Montana and were a tyrannosaurid and a ceratopsid.
There are several awesome things about this fossil:
1- The two dinos were found very close to each other. Scientists believe that they actually died together. The tyrannosaurid was found by accident when the scientists were digging the ceratopsid out.
2- The ceratopsid was HUGE; as big or bigger than Triceratops and Torosaurus, yet it does not belong to any of those genera.
3- The fact that the fossils were found in the Hell Creek Formation suggests that there was a third genus of ceratopsid (a chasmosaurine) living alongside Triceratops and or Torosaurus.
4- The ceratopsid was at first thought to have been hornless! However further study has revealed that it did indeed have horns.
5- The tyrannosaurid (get this) is seemingly an ADULT NANOTYRANNUS! That's right; this fossil could prove once and for all that Nanotyrannus was NOT a juvenile T-Rex, but rather a separate species- the second tyrannosaur species from the latest Cretaceous of North America. The leopard to Tyrannosaurus' lion, if you will.
6- If both dinos did die together that would indicate that Nanotyrannus did not limit itself to hunt small prey, as the ceratopsid was MUCH, much bigger than itself.
7- Both dinos are almost complete and fully articulated- even more amazing,both seem to have preserved skin impressions.
8- Teeth from the Nanotyrannus were found in the ceratopsid's body. The Nanotyrannus also seems to have very serious injuries that may have been caused by the ceratopsid.
So, amazing news or what?
This is a replica:
Oh, and, it seems that they found a second Dracorex specimen from Hell Creek, this time with teeth... and they were pointy and serrated?!! WTF?6
Comments
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I read that the tyrannosaurid's head was crushed. Not confirmed whether or not the ceratopsian did it or not. I'd say the TV documentary / book deal rights for this one are hotly contested!
It would be awesome if it turned out to be an adult Nanotyrannus. What size was the specimen?
Very cool that it appears to be a chasmosaurine. Very underrated branch of ceratopsian IMO.0 -
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Re: the Dracorex, pointy serrated teeth? A carnivourous pachecephalosaur right out of the Land Before Time!
I always assumed that those Pachys were simply extremely aggressive... kind of like a youth gang that corners u in a dark alley XD
But yeah, it seems that at least Dracorex may have been partially carnivorous.
And, chasmosaurines underrated? How can that be, if Triceratops itself is a chasmosaurine?
PS- I think the Nanotyrannus is about 6 meters long0 -
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