New dinosaur, Wendiceratops, discovered in Canada

Aug 17, 2015 Scientists have announced the discovery of a new dinosaur which existed millions of years ago. Wendiceratops as it will be called, is a 20-foot-long, two-ton beast with a prominent, upright horn atop its nose and a series of short, forward-curling hooks adorning a bony, shield-like frill at the back of its head.

It was named after Wendy Sloboda, the Canadian fossil hunter who first spotted the fossils of the animal in southern Alberta’s remote badlands. She was so overjoyed and honored that she got a new tattoo of her dinosaur recently to show it off, according to her.

Wendiceratops, lived 79 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. It gives an insight into the early evolution of horned dinosaurs, a prominent group of four-legged herbivores that includes the well-known Triceratops that lived near the end of the age of dinosaurs. It is a truly eye-catching dinosaur and without a doubt one of the most highly ornamented members of the horned dinosaur family.

Cleveland Museum of Natural History paleontologist Michael Ryan said scientists suspected the skull ornamentation of Wendiceratops may have been a visual cue that allowed these animals to recognize each other over a long distance.