How Utah researchers helped discover a new 78 million-year-old dinosaur species

Carter Williams, KSL.com

SALT LAKE CITY (KSL.com) — Mark Loewen remembers receiving a telephone from nan Museum of Evolution, a mini depository successful Denmark, a fewer years agone astir an point connected nan for-profit dinosaur bones market.

It was a fossil discovered successful 2019 of what Loewen, a paleontologist for nan University of Utah and nan Natural History Museum of Utah, and others had assumed was a 78 million-year-old Medusaceratops, a personnel of nan horned, plant-eating ceratopsian family.

As an master successful this group of dinosaurs, Loewen asked nan depository to bargain nan point truthful it could stay successful nan nationalist sphere and beryllium researched. The depository agreed and purchased it, allowing Loewen, his colleagues and students to inspect each small portion of this fossil earlier putting it connected display.

But thing absorbing happened erstwhile it landed successful nan scientists’ hands, Loewen said. They noticed that nan dinosaur’s horn patterns were different than those of a Medusaceratops. It besides didn’t person a chemoreceptor horn, and they each came to nan aforesaid conclusion: This was not a Medusaceratops. It didn’t lucifer immoderate known dinosaur genus aliases type astatine all.

“We recognized correct distant that this was a caller dinosaur,” he told KSL.com, recalling nan moment.

This find sparked a investigation insubstantial detailing a caller dinosaur type that nan squad had uncovered, 1 that they affectionately named Lokiceratops rangiformis — aliases Lokiceratops for short. Their findings were published Thursday successful PeerJ.

Mark Loewen of nan Natural History Museum of Utah and University of Utah, a co-lead writer of nan study, speaks during nan unveiling of a caller type of dinosaur, Lokiceratops rangiformis, recovered successful nan ancient swamps of bluish Montana astatine nan Natural History Museum of Utah successful Salt Lake City connected Thursday. | Marielle Scott, Deseret News

Finding a caller dinosaur

The process of discovering nan Lokiceratops began 5 years ago.

Mark Eatman uncovered nan dinosaur while digging for fossils connected a ranch adjacent nan U.S.-Canada separator successful Montana. Some calls were made and, successful nan autumn of that year, Brock Sisson, laminitis of nan Utah-based Fossilogic LLC, and his labor came successful to excavate, cleanable and reconstruct nan specimen.

“(It) was 1 of nan astir challenging projects my squad and I person ever faced,” Sisson said, noting that it took astir a twelvemonth to region it from nan crushed and hole it for display.

With nan depository scooping up nan dinosaur, Loewen, Sisson and astatine slightest 11 different researchers were capable to analyse each portion of nan dinosaur arsenic nan fossils were mounted backmost together. Experts from nan U.S., Canada and Europe were each pulled successful complete nan past fewer years to thief find it was, successful fact, a caller species.

The investigation insubstantial published connected Thursday took astir a twelvemonth to spell done nan peer-review process, successful which refinements were made. It describes everything that nan squad pieced together astir nan dinosaur, including its soul anatomy and different awesome details.

Researchers judge it was apt a plant-eating ceratopsian type that roamed nan swamps and floodplains connected nan eastbound statement of Laramidia, nan land continent that formed astir 100 cardinal years agone erstwhile nan Western Interior Seaway divided what is now nan occidental half of North America pinch nan remainder of nan modern-day continent.

A rendering of what a Lokiceratops rangiformis is believed to person looked for illustration aft a 78 million-year-old fossil of nan type was uncovered successful 2019. A study astir nan caller dinosaur species, led by Utah researchers, was published connected Thursday. | Courtesy Natural History Museum of Utah

It was besides nan largest horned dinosaur astatine nan time, and its horn was unique.

“This caller dinosaur pushes nan letter cover connected bizarre ceratopsian headgear, sporting nan largest frill horns ever seen successful a ceratopsian,” said Joseph Sertich, a paleontologist pinch nan Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Colorado State University, successful a statement.

Its horn made nan dinosaur look for illustration a modern-day caribou, which played into nan sanction that researchers settled on.

The squad wanted a sanction that fresh its salient location astatine nan Museum of Evolution successful Denmark. Loewen said its afloat sanction is partially a motion to Loki arsenic its horns are akin to depictions of nan trickster deity from Norse mythology. Rangiformis refers to nan caribou-like attributes.

Put together, nan sanction translates to “Loki’s horned look that looks for illustration a caribou.”

Yet what Loewen recovered astir absorbing is that nan uncovering places a 5th horned dinosaur type surviving successful nan aforesaid area astatine nan aforesaid time, 3 much than erstwhile thought. It would person coexisted pinch different akin type for illustration nan Medusaceratops, Albertaceratops and Wendiceratops successful nan West’s prehistoric forests.

This uncovering gives a amended image of nan ecosystem that existed 78 cardinal years agone and really this type remained successful it.

He and Sertich said they judge its horns were utilized to entreaty to type of nan other activity and intimidate rivals wrong nan aforesaid sex, which played into its “evolutionary selection.”

A caller type of dinosaur, Lokiceratops rangiformis, recovered successful nan ancient swamps of bluish Montana, is unveiled astatine nan Natural History Museum of Utah successful Salt Lake City connected Thursday, June 20, 2024. | Marielle Scott, Deseret News

Now connected display

The first Lokiceratops ever discovered is now astatine nan Museum of Evolution successful Maribo, Denmark, wherever it’s disposable to researchers and depository visitors.

Peter Makovicky, an master pinch nan University of Minnesota and study co-author, believes it will springiness European visitors “an astonishing opportunity” to position an “iconic North American dinosaur” up close.

Natural History Museum of Utah visitors tin position nan adjacent champion thing.

The depository connected Thursday unveiled an nonstop 6-foot replica of a Lokiceratops skull alongside a full-size skull pinch skin, eyes and horns based connected what researchers judge it looked for illustration 78 cardinal years ago.

While it’s now nan newest-discovered dinosaur known to person lived successful ancient North America, Loewen said it astir apt won’t beryllium nan past caller type discovered.

“We deliberation we astir apt cognize little than 1% of nan animals that beryllium to this group that lived present successful North America,” he said. “Going forward, we’re going to effort to summation that much truthful we person a amended knowledge base.”