The fossils of two new dinosaur species resembling triceratops were discovered in the Grand Staircase National Monument, a protected zone in the south side of Utah, EE.UU.
The intercontinental endemism hypothesis, which sustains that at least two taxa are still living on the earth, has become stronger due to the detection of the two new species.
The reptiles belong to the upper cretaceous era, in which sea level increase possibly divided North American territory.
“You don’t find two dinosaurs the size of rhinos different from all the other found in North America everyday” said Mark Loewen, Paleontologist of the Utah Natural History Museum.
The species were named Kosmoceratops Richardson (15 horns) and utahceratops getty (5 larger horns).
The utahceratops had a big horn over its snout and smaller horns over the eyes, which are located on the sides. Its cranium is 2 meters long, it’s about 1.8 meters of high and y had a total size of 5.5 to 6.7 meters. The estimated weight is calculated between 3 and 4 tons.
Kosmoceratops had 15 horns on its cranium: one on its nose, one over each of the eyes, one over each cheekbone and 10 resembling a crown in the upper back side of its head. It weighted nearly 2.5 tons and was 4.5 meters size.
Horns of both animals were 15 and 30 centimeters long, scientists believe that they were used to fight other animals and to courtship a partner.
Species craniums are currently being exposed at the Natural History Museum in Utah.
