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Paleontologists have name a fresh unearthed dinosaur after the Norse god Loki due to a outstanding similarity between its horn and the deity ’s regal headpiece , as it was limn in recent superhero films and telecasting show .
scientist described the new dino , Lokiceratops rangiformis , in a study bring out Thursday ( June 20 ) in the journalPeerJ. The researchers identify the specie base on the partial continue of a skull unearth in 2019 at the Judith River Formation in Montana ’s Badlands , around 2 miles ( 3.2 km ) from the U.S.-Canada border .
The new speies of horned dinosaur lived in what is now North America around 78 million years ago. The curved horns at the very top of its head are the largest of their kind ever seen.
The metal money belong to the clade Ceratopsia — a group of herbivorous horned dinosaurs , includingTriceratops , that is renowned for its members ' large bony promontory denture , or frill , and long , pointed horn .
However , L. rangiformis , which was likely around 22 feet ( 6.7 m ) long and weigh 5.5 tons ( 5 metric short ton ) , " push the envelope on off-the-wall ceratopsian headdress " to extremes never find before , study co - lead authorJoseph Sertich , a paleontologist at Colorado State University , said in astatement .
L. rangiformishad a massive falderol that was adorned with a pair of flatten , curvy horns at the top , in addition to the standard lance - comparable horns protruding from above its eye . The frill horns are the turgid ever see in any horned dinosaur . The unparalleled headgear inspired the scientist to name the dinosaur ’s genusLokiceratopsin honour of the Norse trickster godLoki , who is often depicted wearing a helmet with similarly flowery horns — especially in modern comic - book portrayals by Marvel .
A reconstructedLokiceratopsskull made using some real fossil bones is now on display at the Museum of Evolution in Maribo, Denmark.
The newfound specie also had a third pair of crooked horns at the top of its flounce , which make it the metal money namerangiformis , meaning " looks like caribou " in Latin , because caribous ( Rangifer tarandus ) also have antlers that are longer on one side of their head than the other .
The dinosaur ’s skull also notably lacks a nozzle horn , a feature most other ceratopsians possess , includingTriceratops .
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Laramidia was a large island continent, which eventually morphed into what is now North America.
L. rangiformislived around 78 million years ago during theCretaceous geological period , about 12 million class beforeTriceratopsemerged . Back then , what is now North America was a large island continent , have it away as Laramidia . The freshly identify species likely inhabit in swamps and flood plain along this ancient state ’s east coast .
researcher had previously assumed that only a twosome of horn dinosaur species were probable to co - exist on Laramidia at any one time , because late species in this mathematical group likely dominate the rivalry for resources .
ButL. rangiformisis now the fourth ceratopsian — and fifth horned dinosaur — that has been get dating from the same menstruation in Laramidia ’s story , hinting that there was more diversity among this group than expected , researchers wrote . Two of these other dinosaurs were also excavate from the Judith River formation , suggesting they co - live in relative harmony .
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However , " the skull ofLokiceratopsis dramatically different from the other four animal it lived aboard , " study co - lead authorMark Loewen , a paleontologist at the University of Utah , said in the statement . The high levels of ceratopsian biodiversity , which led to increase competition for resources at the time , likely resulted in sexual pick that favor these gargantuan horns , he added .
In add-on to providing protective covering from predators , scientists think the frills and horns of ceratopsian were primarily used to pull possible mates , similar to the elaborate colored plumage of birds . The size ofL. rangiformis ' automobile horn was potential a marking of how successful each individual was . In this lawsuit , bigger really was better .
