Some dinosaurs were pretty horny
That's one horny dinosaur, alright: Teen-aged triceratopses may have jousted to impress the ladies.
Courtesy wallyg
Scientists digging in central Mexico have uncovered the bones of a previously unknown dinosaur. The species, not yet named, had three horns and a massive neck frill, similar to the familiar Triceratops. The scientists peculate that these dinosaurs used their neck frills for display, to attract mates. Adolescent males may have used their horns in head-butting contests, like some modern sheep do, to establish dominance.
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I was reading recently--don't remember exactly where--that it's thought that ceratopsians with big brow horns (like triceratops) were more likely to butt heads like sheep, or lock their horns like deer do with their antlers, while ceratopsians with much more prominent nasal horns (like centrosaurus) may have been more likely to actually use their horns for defense, like a rhino.
Ceratopsians like achelousaurus may have mostly used their horns and frills for just looking pretty.
that's not entirely related, I suppose. But, you know, horns on the brain...
why is it that these people are still digging in the ground for a dinosaur bone?
don't they have others things to do?
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