North America, late Cretaceous Period, ca. 68 to 66 million years ago. Wow! A pair of incredible fossils from triceratops (Triceratops horridus), one of the classic, best-known dinosaurs. First, the tip of a horn, and second, part of the massive facial frill. These large horned animals were initially mistaken by fossil hunters for a form of bison before they realized they were a type of dinosaur known as a ceratopsian. The triceratops skull was heavy and distinctive: with three horns, a parrot-like beak, and a frill that could reach three feet wide, it was one of the largest skulls known from any land animal. Size of frill fragment: 19" W (48.3 cm)
Interestingly, most horned animals travel in herds, but triceratops has been found more frequently in individual contexts. Puncture marks on the fossil frills of males of the species shown that they used their horns to fight each other, with some paleontologists believing that this was done to impress females. Finds of blood vessels throughout the horns and frills of these animals suggest that they were not just weapons, but were also used for identification of individuals, much like the antlers and horns of modern species like reindeer and mountain goats. These horns grew throughout the life of the animal, especially in childhood and adolescence, along with the skull, which went from one foot long in babies to six feet long in adults.
Provenance: private J.H. collection, Beaverton, Oregon, USA, acquired between 2006 (frill fragment) and September 2009 (horn tip); (frill fragment) ex-private collection; (horn tip) ex-private Webster, Texas, USA collection
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#153824
Condition
Both items are fragments of a larger part of the body, as discussed above. The horn tip has excellent deposits on its surface. The frill fragment has been repaired from several large pieces.