Triceratops Was Juvenile Form Of Another Species Of Dinosaur, Scientists Say

New research from a duo at the Museum of the Rockies argues that the triceratops may never have been a distinct species, but rather the younger form of another dinosaur.

After comparing the skull shape of the triceratops to that of its close relative, the torosaurus, researchers John Scannella and Jack Horner concluded that the triceratops may actually be a juvenile form of the torosaurus (not an entirely different species), as dinosaurs' skulls could change shapes during their lifetime.

New Scientist explains:

Now Scannella and Horner say that triceratops is merely the juvenile form of torosaurus. As the animal aged, its horns changed shape and orientation and its frill became longer, thinner and less jagged. Finally it became fenestrated, producing the classic torosaurus form.

This extreme shape-shifting was possible because the bone tissue in the frill and horns stayed immature, spongy and riddled with blood vessels, never fully hardening into solid bone as happens in most animals during early adulthood. The only modern animal known to do anything similar is the cassowary, descended from the dinosaurs, which develops a large spongy crest when its skull is about 80 per cent fully grown.

Scannella and Horner's findings would help explain why only adult torosaurus fossils have ever been uncovered. According to New Scientist, "torosaurus will now be abolished as a species and specimens reassigned to triceratops."

As Boing Boing points out, the new research highlights one of the major challenges of paleontology: "Paleontologists are tasked with reconstructing the lives of animals nobody has ever seen alive. And that creates a world where the obvious just isn't."

Comments

[DanielAdler]

03:16 PM on 08/05/2010

It's like scientists want to make dinosaurs less cool: http://www.entertainmedaily.com/2010/08/triceratops-never-existed-kill-me-now/

[SliperyPete]

09:40 AM on 08/05/2010

My life has lost all meaning.

[Oscar Groom]

10:24 PM on 08/04/2010

Perhaps David Icke isn't crazy after all?

[mamacat]

05:48 PM on 08/04/2010

A little difficult to get my head around the idea that a giant triceratops is anything but a fully grown adult, and is instead only a juvenile of something else, much bigger.

[talos72]

07:51 PM on 08/04/2010

It's a bit of a paradigm shift for dino enthusiasts like myself!

[dpisoccer]

05:12 PM on 08/04/2010

I'm thinking that this also will be blamed on Obama.

[PlayTOE]

11:29 AM on 08/04/2010

Isn't it sweet, Triceratops just found it's long lost daddy that was off hiding under an assumed identity ...
Deadbeat dads are real dinosaurs.

[Lise Stanley]

08:36 PM on 08/24/2010

lol love it.. fanned and fave.

[vulpecula762mm]

10:13 AM on 08/04/2010

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

Didn't Joshua ride one into battle?

[Ken Freedom]

04:44 AM on 08/04/2010

Misleading headline. It appears it is the torosaurus that was never a distinct species, as its the genus that is being retired and folded into triceratops.

But of course "Torosaurus never existed" isn't as eye-catching, is it? ::eyeroll::

[mbaty]

02:29 AM on 08/04/2010

The name Torosaurus is now available. I'm starting a company called Taurosaurus Transnational Investments, and I am available for no-bid contracts starting Immediately.
Since companies are people too, who's to say they aren't dinosaurs? I'm not saying that. But it could be, figuratively of course. What animal are we really going to give that name to anyway now that it's available? The spelling is different.

"What do we do? That's what we do."
Taurosaurus Transnational Investments Incorporated.

[RepugsOut08]

10:40 AM on 08/04/2010

Dear Torosaurus International Investments,

I have quite a lot of money to invest, but I'm wary of evolving markets. They tend to branch off in various directions, often leading to dead ends. No, it's the good old tried-and-true prehistoric investment policies for me.
Triceratops Inc. has been dealing with my account, but now that I realize they've been reduced to juvenile status by Flintstone, Flintstone and Rubble Financial Ratings Services. I'm now looking for a more mature investment company to do business with.
My holdings are mostly in Tar pits, coal deposits, oil reserves and dino-mite manufacturing. Despite my agressive carnivorous-appearing portfolio, I'm actually a herbivore by nature. Here's hoping we can lock horns and butt heads soon.

Sincerely,
Stanley Styracosaurus Esq.

[mbaty]

11:25 AM on 08/04/2010

Dear Stanley Styracosaurus,
On behalf of Taurosaurus Transnational Investments let me be the first to welcome you and let you know that here at Taurosaurus there are many ways to make your money work for you, including tar pits, coal deposits, oil reserves, and we have over ten dino-mite manufacturing facilities in three states. We pride ourselves on not only the quality of our dinomite, but in the security of our energy investments as we look to the future. One promising avenue we are currently developing is nuclear power. Statistics show that nuclear plants are 30% more efficient than oil drilling, and we care about saving the environment. Another hot investment at Taurosaurus is our natural gas lines. Our hydrofrakking methods have been shown to be safe and effective at getting the most return from your investment.
We look forward to butting horns and locking heads soon.
Sincerely,
Trace Trunquehorn,
Taurosaurus Inc.

[Dottedvoile]

11:39 PM on 08/03/2010

noooooooo!!! this would totally ruin Power Rangers! Mastodon! Pterodactyl! Torosaurus (???) laaaaaaame!

[Noxvox]

11:07 PM on 08/03/2010

Interesting how they are keeping the name of the adolescent rather than the adult. I guess more people know of the triceratops, myself included. Dino education usually peaks in the third grade. Not that I don't love it...

[RepugsOut08]

01:51 AM on 08/04/2010

Triceratops was discovered before Torosaurus. Since they're the same species, Triceratops had "dibs" on the name.
That's why Apatasaurus beat out Brontosaurus, when it was discovered that the Bronto skeleton was actually an Apatasaurus. Apatasaurus was found first.

[ChuckDarwin]

10:01 PM on 08/03/2010

First they came for the brontosaurus, but I said nothing because I wasn't a sauropod.
Then they came for Pluto, but I said nothing because I wasn't a planetary body.
Then they came for Torosaurus, but I said nothing because I wasn't a ceratopsian.
Then they came for me, but there was no one left to speak for me.
--The Geico Caveman

[rigmoten]

12:57 AM on 08/04/2010

Well done. I was accused of not reading the article when I said, "bring back Pluto and triceratops."

[RepugsOut08]

01:53 AM on 08/04/2010

Nicely done.

[aligatorhardt]

09:24 PM on 08/03/2010

The lack of juvenile specimens seems like a lousy reason to jump to the conclusion that triceratops had a shape changing skull and turned into the other animal(old what's his name). There would have to be evidence to accept such an unlikely transformation. These guys are hard up for publicity

[lvogt]

08:32 PM on 08/03/2010

"Shape-Shifting Dinosaurs Call Existence Of Triceratops Into Question" No. Triceratops remains.

Do you have children writing headlines?
OK How about "Triceratops Tykes Transformation Trumps Torosaurus"

[MrWampler]

12:05 AM on 08/04/2010

I was just about to post to same thing. Its existence isn't called into question, its taxonomy is.

[gamoonbat]

11:32 AM on 08/03/2010

What the story actually says is that "Torasaurus" was the adult form of the species Triceratops. Scannella and Horner are recommending that the name "Torasaurus" be retired and those fossils classified as Triceratops.