The fossil finding of Triceratops Horridus is very complete. In fact, researchers consider that this is the most complete finding of Triceratops dinosaur fossils in the world.
The dinosaurs we know are not just meat eaters like the T-Rex. Like other animals, dinosaurs also consist of various types.
One type of plant-eating dinosaur is Triceratops. Museum Victoria has just about to exhibit the fossil findings of the plant-eating dinosaur with a fairly complete skeleton.
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The Most Complete Triceratops Horridus Fossil Finding
The fossil of a plant-eating dinosaur, Triceratops, which died 67 million years ago is one of the most important discoveries in science. Unlike most findings, this one Triceratops fossil has an almost complete skeleton.
In fact, this fossil is the most complete finding of Triceratops in the world. The Tricera fossil then scientists named Horridus.
Triceratops Horridus has a more than 85 percent intact skeleton with a nearly complete and well-preserved skull and spine.
That makes the fossil so iconic. Quoting from Live Science, Thursday (17/3/2022) Horridus is included in the herbivore which according to estimates lived during the Cretaceous period. The exact time is around 145 million to 66 million years ago.
Horridus groups can grow to impressive sizes. From the fossils identified, researchers revealed that there were more than 260 bones weighing up to 1,000 kilograms.
As for the body length, the Horridus reaches 7 meters with a height of more than 2 meters.
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Located in the Victoria Museum
The most complete Horridus fossil discovery occurred in 2014 on a private land located in Montana, United States. In 2020, the Museum Victoria finally got the fossil.
Museum Victoria is an Australian organization that operates three museums in Melbourne at once. Shipping fossils to Melbourne is also quite difficult.
Fossils must be sent through 8 separate chests. Some of the crates are even the size of a modern car.
Will be Exhibited for the First Time
The fossil finding of Triceratops Horridus will be present at an exhibition entitled ‘Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs’ at the Melbourne Museum, Australia.
The exhibition is also the first time for their fossils to be publicly exhibited. Prior to the start of the exhibition, the Melbourne Museum, which composes the fossil, measured, provided tables and scanned each bone before the skeleton was assembled for appearance.
“This Horridus fossil consists of hundreds of bones including a complete skull along with entire vertebrae. That will help us unlock the mystery of how this species lived 67 million years ago,” said Erich Fitzgerald, senior curator of vertebrate paleontology at Australia’s Museum Victoria.
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Researchers have not been able to confirm whether this one Horridus fossil is male or female. However, they can learn a lot from fossils, from evolution, biology, to behavior.
Quoting from the New Atlas, the fossil findings of Triceratops Horridus can be well preserved due to environmental factors which are dense swamp forests. (R10/HR-Online)
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