Meet ‘Loki’: A Newly Discovered Dinosaur Named After the God of Mischief

In a groundbreaking paleontological discovery, scientists have unearthed a new species of horned dinosaur that roamed the subtropical coastal plains of what is now northern Montana, United States, approximately 78 million years ago.

They aptly named him after Loki, the Norse god who has a two-horned crown. The dinosaur, nicknamed Lokiceratops rangiformis, pushes the boundaries of our understanding of ceratopsian dinosaurs and their ecosystems.

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Measuring approximately 22 feet long and weighing approximately 5 1/2 tons, the Lokiceratops sported an impressive array of horns, including two curved horns over 16 inches long above its eyes and an asymmetrical pair of horns shaped like blade on its wheel, each about two feet in length. These unique features, reminiscent of the weapons of the Norse trickster god Loki, inspired its scientific name.

Joe Sertich, a paleontologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Colorado State University, suggests that the elaborate headgear was likely used for display purposes, possibly to intimidate rivals or attract mates. The dinosaur’s powerful beak indicates that it fed on low vegetation such as ferns and flowering plants.

Perhaps most intriguing is the discovery that Lokiceratops shared its habitat with four other species of horned dinosaurs, challenging previous beliefs about ceratopsian diversity in a single ecosystem. Mark Loewen of the University of Utah likens this to the discovery of “five species of elephants living in the same savannah in Kenya.”

This unexpected richness of ceratopsian species suggests rapid evolution occurring in a limited geographic region. The results also match patterns observed in mammalian evolution, particularly in the bovids of modern-day Africa.

Lokiceratops fossils, found near the United States-Canada border, provide valuable information about the diversity of the ecosystem of Laramidia, the western landmass of North America during the Cretaceous.

This discovery not only introduces a spectacular new dinosaur species, but also rewrites our understanding of prehistoric biodiversity and ecological dynamics.