Check out my horns: This is a slightly different sub-species of pachyrhinosaurus than the type that's been discovered in Alberta, Canada. Click on the link in the story to see the wild horn arrangement of this latest model.
Courtesy ArthurWeasleyThe wild array of spikes on a triceratops-like dinosaur may look menacing and good for fighting, but researchers think their main purpose may have been to attract mates.

Here’s the full report on the new findings about pachyrhinosaur lakustai, including a pretty wild photo. All totaled, the dinosaur had six spikes arranged around its head. And they weren’t there to pick a fight but rather to attract the other sex of the species.

Paleontologists have hit a gold mine of information on pachyrhinosaurs in a bone bed found in Alberta, Canada. So far they’ve found 15 complete skulls and pieces of 27 different specimens while having only dug in about five percent of the bone bed area.

Younger members of the species have few if any horns on their frills and face while older, larger specimens have much more facial spiking. That’s the clue that leads researchers to think that the spikes were as much a part of mate attraction as defense.

Interested in seeing some other freaky looking dinosaurs? Here’s another link that National Geographic has on some wild-looking specimens.

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