Alien 'Horned-face Dinosaur' discovered in Canada

Perhaps I should clarify, it's long been dead.

A new species of horned dinosaur, called the xenoceratops—"alien horned-face"—has been discovered in fossil beds in Alberta, Canada. The discovery is based on remains from at least three adult-sized individuals, which were identified from fossils originally collected in 1958. The creatures would have been approximately six meters long and would have weighed more than two metric tons each. The xenoceratops was a herbivore with a parrot-like beak, two long brow horns above its eyes and a large frill protruding from the back of its skull with two additional large spikes. It lived around 80 million years ago, making it one of the oldest ceratopsids, the group of large-bodied horned dinosaurs that includes triceratops.

Impressive. It will be interesting to see the actual bones once they finish excavation.

Article

Pretty impressive discovery. One of the most awesome triceratops I've seen.

I have a question though. Triceratops was a 18 foot long 2 ton vegetarian. But it had a beak. WHat would it need a beak for. Most birds that have a beak eat nuts that need cracking. I always figured they just had long tongues like giraffs but why evolve the beak if the animal was going to be so big. What good would the beak have been?

Why do man have nippels? Would be the same type of question

Originally posted by BASSPLYR
Pretty impressive discovery. One of the most awesome triceratops I've seen.

I have a question though. Triceratops was a 18 foot long 2 ton vegetarian. But it had a beak. WHat would it need a beak for. Most birds that have a beak eat nuts that need cracking. I always figured they just had long tongues like giraffs but why evolve the beak if the animal was going to be so big. What good would the beak have been?

Good question, most theories I've found have simply been:

Beaks are good at clipping vegetation

link

Originally posted by StareDad
Why do man have nippels? Would be the same type of question

That question can easily be answered though if you do the research!

Originally posted by StareDad
Why do man have nippels? Would be the same type of question

A human baby inherits one copy of every gene from his or her father and one copy of every gene from his or her mother. Inherited traits of a boy should thus be a combination of traits from both his parents...

.....the presence of nipples in male mammals is a genetic architectural by-product of nipples in females. So, why do men have nipples? Because females do..

article

reply to post by StareDad

Why do man have nippels?

That's easy,it is so that women are able to play Radio Tokyo...

But here is another good answer...

In a now-famous paper, Stephen Jay Gould and Richard C. Lewontin emphasize that we should not immediately assume that every trait has an adaptive explanation. Just as the spandrels of St. Mark's domed cathedral in Venice are simply an architectural consequence of the meeting of a vaulted ceiling with its supporting pillars, the presence of nipples in male mammals is a genetic architectural by-product of nipples in females. So, why do men have nipples? Because females do.

www.scientificamerican.com...

reply to post by Lonewulph


Looks like I was a little slow in replying, but an interesting article to read..

It had a beak because Dinosaurs were giant birds and earth has been moved from a different location where there wasn't as much gravity, so things were bigger. Gravity is related to harm. Murder is like a dwarf star kind of gravity. ie. the Fall.

reply to post by Unity_99


is this true? references?

I always thought dinos got big due to the oxygen density in the atmosphere...

reply to post by Lonewulph


I don't usually reply to anything about dinosaurs or fossils but I thought I'd go ahead and do it hoping I don't get flamed out to bad but "discoveries" like this one reek of bull# to me. I don't think that someone could look at a pile of bone chips and (in his word's) instantly know they were looking at a new species. I also think its presumptive to proceed from this:


to the artist rendering in your op.

Also I think the artist who came up with that drawing may have had some influencing from outside of paleontology. I'm thinking he's a Trekkie.


this is a Klingon emblem

reply to post by Josephus


Also so you don't think im some kind of Buzz killington I thought I'd post this other pic of this supposed new species, which despite my misgivings, I think is awesome.

reply to post by Josephus


Too funny. Could pass for a Klingon resident at least. I just know I wouldn't want to piss it off.

Well, apparently the discovery is based on remains from at least three adult-sized individuals, which were identified from fossils originally collected in 1958. Then put into plaster 'jackets' to protect them. Rediscovered 10 years ago it seems among other horned skulls.

Their research history and efforts appear impressive enough, and at least it appears they have more than enough evidence to establish their findings:

Southern Alberta Dinosaur Project link

reply to post by Unity_99


Wait, what?
Dinosaurs were giant birds?
And the earth was moved from a different location? Like dragged an dropped?
The earth is also only 6000 years old right? Damn technicians always messin' with the file properties!

Originally posted by Unity_99
It had a beak because Dinosaurs were giant birds and earth has been moved from a different location where there wasn't as much gravity, so things were bigger. Gravity is related to harm. Murder is like a dwarf star kind of gravity. ie. the Fall.

edit on 11-11-2012 by Unity_99 because: (no reason given)

I'd like to hear more about this place where the laws of gravity are different than they are here.

Originally posted by StareDad
Why do man have nippels? Would be the same type of question

I don't know about yours, but my right one is used to regulate body temperature and my left one is used mainly to pick up short wave radio transmissions.

Originally posted by BASSPLYR
Pretty impressive discovery. One of the most awesome triceratops I've seen.

I have a question though. Triceratops was a 18 foot long 2 ton vegetarian. But it had a beak. WHat would it need a beak for. Most birds that have a beak eat nuts that need cracking. I always figured they just had long tongues like giraffs but why evolve the beak if the animal was going to be so big. What good would the beak have been?

My theory only...The beak would have been a powerful tool in 2 forms.

First as a weapon. Imagine that thing slicing open a rib cage of the enemy?

Secondly is that it would act as a tool to dig roots, tubers etc. Especially in the colder weather when the ground is partially frozen a few inches down.

Then again it could be for ornamental purposes only

Peace

Peace

Originally posted by BASSPLYR
Pretty impressive discovery. One of the most awesome triceratops I've seen.

I have a question though. Triceratops was a 18 foot long 2 ton vegetarian. But it had a beak. WHat would it need a beak for. Most birds that have a beak eat nuts that need cracking. I always figured they just had long tongues like giraffs but why evolve the beak if the animal was going to be so big. What good would the beak have been?

I think dinosaurs came from Birds so maybe this guy hasnt evolved further into the teeth stage?

reply to post by SageBeno


Other way around. Dinosaurs evolved into birds. At least some of them did.

reply to post by Zaphod58



I believe a majority came from the birds, They believe the T-Rex and the Raptors actually had feathers.

Like massive crazy chickens, so they either came from birds or Reptiles or reptile birds because they all lay eggs.