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News Release 10-170

New Species of Multi-horned Dinosaurs Unearthed in Utah

With looks that kill, two newly discovered dinosaur species once roamed lost continent in what is now southern Utah

Photo of Scott Sampson with the fossil of the species Kosmoceratops richardsoni.

Scott Sampson pictured with the fossil of the species Kosmoceratops richardsoni.


September 22, 2010

View a video of Dr. Scott Sampson discussing the two new species of dinosaur discovered at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

"A giant rhino with a ridiculously supersized head"

"Fifteen long, pointed sideways oriented eye horns: one over the nose, one atop each eye, one at the tip of each cheek bone, and ten across the rear margin of the bony frill"

"A horned face: large horn over the nose and short, blunt eye horns that project strongly to the side"

Such phrases have been used to describe two newly discovered species of dinosaurs with looks only a mother could love. Still, they are drawing the attention and inspiring the imagination of scientists and lay people alike.

Announced today in PLoS ONE, the online open-access journal produced by the Public Library of Science, two new species of horned dinosaurs--Utahceratops gettyi and Kosmoceratops richardsoni--have been found in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. Close relatives of the famous Triceratops, these giant plant eaters were once inhabitants of the "lost island continent" of Laramidia, a swampy, subtropical setting formed when a shallow sea flooded the central region of North America, isolating the eastern and western portions of the continent for millions of years during the late Cretaceous period.

"My enthusiasm for these findings is threefold," said Raymond Bernor, program director of the Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology Program at the National Science Foundation (NSF). "First, researchers discovered two new, exciting dinosaur species. Second, the research has accomplished a major advance in understanding the biogenographic provinciality of Western North American dinosaur communities that apparently included separate northern and southern populations. And third, this discovery has inspired future discoveries in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which has now emerged as one of the most important paleontological reserves in the world."

But what about these ugly, horned creatures … Although much speculation has ensued about the function of the ceratopsian horns and frills of these prehistoric monsters--from fighting off predators to recognizing other members of the same species or controlling body temperature--the dominant idea today is that these features functioned first and foremost to enhance reproductive success. Scott Sampson, first author on the paper, explains, "Most of these bizarre features would have made lousy weapons to fend off predators. It's far more likely that they were used to intimidate or do battle with rivals of the same sex, as well as to attract individuals of the opposite sex."

More details are available in a press release from the Utah Museum of Natural History.

View a video discussing the two new species of dinosaur.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Lisa-Joy Zgorski, NSF, (703) 292-8311, email: lisajoy@nsf.gov
Patti Carpenter, Utah Museum of Natural History, (801) 707-6138, email: pcarpenter@umnh.utah.edu

Program Contacts
Raymond Bernor, NSF, (703) 292-8551, email: rbernor@nsf.gov

Principal Investigators
Scott Sampson, Utah Museum of Natural History and University of Utah, (707) 536-8829, email: ssampson@umnh.utah.edu

Co-Investigators
Mark Loewen, Utah Museum of Natural History, (801) 891-6036, email: mloewen@umnh.utah.edu
Andrew Farke, Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology, (909) 626-3587, email: afarke@webb.org

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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