New Species of Dinosaur Discovered
Photo credits: Scott Sampson. "Skeletal elements recovered for Utahceratops gettyi n. gen et n. sp. and Kosmoceratops richardsoni n. gen et n. sp."
Do you like dinosaurs? Well, if you do, this is the article for you. Scientists just made a significant discovery and advance in paleontology, because in recent discoveries, two new species of horned dinosaurs were found. Their names are the Utahceratops gettyi and the Kosmoceratops richardsoni.
The fossils of these dinosaurs were found in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which is a huge region in Utah that covers about 1.9 million acres of American land. One interesting fact about The Grand Staircase-Escalate National Park is that all the dinosaur fossils found there were new to science. They were not found anywhere else in the world. Because of this great new discovery, scientists all over the world became inspired to search there for more fossils here, and now, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is considered to be one of the most prestigious “paleontological reserves in the world.”
The Utahceratops gettyi is thought to be 22 feet long, 6 feet tall, and the Kosmoceratops richardsoni is thought to be 15 feet long. As you could see, the Utahceratops gettyi was bigger than the Kosmoceratops richardsoni . They are both plant eaters, omnivores, and paleontologists suggest that the horns on these two dinosaurs’ head were for attracting mates, or looking intimidating when it comes to fights with other dinosaurs. The Kosmoceratops richardsoni had as many as 15 horns on its head. Because of these horns, the dinosaurs might have been a relative of the Triceratops, and scientists have determined that these two species of dinosaurs lived on a continent called Laramidia, which no longer exists, more than 76 million years ago. Laramida was only one fifth the size of North America, and was formed when high ocean levels flooded North America and caused a seaway in the middle of the continent. The other side of the continent was called Appalachia, and the two regions were separated for more than 30 million years. The climate on Laramidia was very warm, and it never got cold in the winters. It was not considered to be tropical, because Laramidia experienced different seasons.
Here is a very informing video about these two dinosaurs. I did not make this video, Dr Scott Sampson did, but if you need help finding or understanding some information, you should visit this website to get a better understanding. Sampson talks about where the dinosaurs were found, how many horns they had, and other useful information.
These two dinosaurs are very interesting, and if you find any more information about them, comment on my blog. I hope you learned something new, and I look forward to your comments. Some questions you could think about while researching information on these dinosaurs are: How and when did these two species of dinosaurs become extinct? Who discovered the first fossils? Are all of the fossils found or are paleontologists still searching for more? Are the fossils exhibited in a museum? If so, what museum? How did the dinosaurs get their names? Which of the two dinosaurs were more vicious? What were their strong and weak points? For example: Where the dinosaurs fast or slow on land? Could they swim?
