Palaeontology

New 'King Nose' dinosaur discovered

By T.K. Randall
September 23, 2014 ·  11 comments

The new species is a type of hadrosaur. Image Credit: CC BY 2.0 Lisa Andres Originally excavated from Utah's Nelsen rock formation back in the 1990s, the fossils were left in storage at Brigham Young University's Museum before being rediscovered by two scientists who had started to reconstruct them.

Named Rhinorex condrupus, the duck-billed dinosaur was around 30ft long, weighed 8,500lbs and possessed a nose so massive that it has since been given the nickname "King Nose.""We had almost the entire skull, which was wonderful," said Dr Terry Gates. "But the preparation was very difficult. It took two years to dig the fossil out of the sandstone it was embedded in – it was like digging a dinosaur skull out of a concrete driveway."

Believed to have lived during the Late Cretaceous period, the plant-eating hadrosaur may have used its abnormally large nose to attract mates or as a tool to help it smash up plants.

"The purpose of such a big nose is still a mystery," said Dr Gates. "If this dinosaur is anything like its relatives then it likely did not have a super sense of smell."

Source: Independent | Comments (11)

Tags: Dinosaur