Researchers working at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument discovered a new species of dinosaurs - large, horned and herbivorous creatures that are between 19 to 26 feet long and weigh about one to two tons. It took three seasons to dig up the fossil.
The dinosaurs, called Machairoceratops cronusi, are estimated to live some 77 million years ago. This is an unusual thing as this type of dinosaur is found in the United States, because usually their fossils are found in places like Alaska and Montana.
"Even in places like western North America, where the hard work done over the last 150 years, we still find new species to the world of science," Patrick O'Connor, a co-author of the study, reported the findings, saying in a statement
This dinosaur lived during the Cretaceous Period in parts of North America known by scientists as Laramidia, which is to the northwest of which separates the continent. This new discovery, found in South Laramidia, in contrast to the dinosaurs of the same group found in northern Laramidia, shows that this dinosaur lived in two distinct regions and from two distinct subgroups caused by evolution.
Dinosaurs in this group, called Centrosaurine ceratopsids, have horns, beaks, and neck protectors.
"Machairoceratops are unique in that they have two large forward curved spikes from the back of the neck protector, each of which is marked by a strange curve that extends from the base of the spike to the end, whose function is currently unknown," Erik Lund, one of the researchers Who was involved in the discovery, said in a statement.