CU Boulder is 现在 home to a full-scale三角龙 投 - a historic specimen donated to the CU 自然历史博物馆 by the Smithsonian Institution. 的 三角龙 is approximately 22 feet long from the tip of its horn to the end of its tail, 大约有9英尺高. Check out the visit page to learn how to see it in person at the Sustainability, Energy and Environment Community (SEEC) building, 在科罗拉多大学东校区.
标题图片来源:(上图) 三角龙 (两个 三角龙 Facing Right), Raúl Martín Demingo, acrylic and oil on board.
当三角龙在科罗拉多漫游的时候
研究表明 三角龙 lived from around 68 MYA until an asteroid hit the Earth 66 MYA. This event helped wipe out the dinosaurs (except for birds). How different 是 Colorado at that time? 当时, 整个地球都变暖了, and the Rocky Mountains were actively growing in elevation due to tectonic forces. Eastern Colorado included submerged and beachfront terrain along the shallow ocean that bisected North America—西部内陆航道. This 是 a time when mammals were small, and 三角龙 shared the landscape with 其他 giants like 雷克斯霸王龙.
Image credit: Visualization of North America 69.7 Ma. ©Colorado Plateau Geosystems
一个认错人的案例
第一个 三角龙 fossils were a pair of giant horns found near Denver in 1887. 然而，他们错了 确认 古生物学家O.C. Marsh as belonging to a giant, extinct bison (a cousin to CU’s mascot Ralphie). As more fossils were discovered, Marsh realized his mistake. We 现在 k现在 those original giant horns belonged to 三角龙!
The 投 (或副本) 现在 定位d 联办, is based on bones from 10 different specimens of Triceratops horridus, collected in Wyoming in the early 1890s. 这种复合材料as exhibited as a single skeleton in 1905 in Washington DC 它是 副本 第一次装上 三角龙 在这个世界上.
图片来源:Marsh, O.C.《博彩app推荐》，1887年
天啊，你的脑袋真奇怪!
三角龙 有一个非常极端的头脑. Why did it sport a massive frill, three long, sharp horns, and a large beak? 的 giant frill offered a defensive shield while the horns could be used to attack or defend. Analyses of scars on fossil 头骨s suggest that the most common opponents were 可能的竞争对手 三角龙. 很可能 三角龙 mostly used their imposing heads to impress potential mates or intimidate and fight 其他 三角龙. 还有鸟喙? 更好的掐植物!
Check out a 3D scan of 三角龙' 头骨
科罗拉多大学博物馆发布了一份 交互式3D扫描 三角龙 头骨, giving dinosaur buffs of all ages the chance to explore the fossil’s bumps and divots from their laptops. For some in Boulder, the scan 提供了 a fresh look at an old friend. But it also highlights how the museum is using new technology to better preserve Colorado’s past.
展览策展人
在古生物学, researchers ask questions about the evolution of life that range across all geological time and span from individual species to the whole of life. 的 CU 自然历史博物馆 is home to many researchers and curators, two of which are the paleontologists who co-curated this exhibit.
Dr. Jaelyn Eberle
CU 古生物学家和 三角龙 展览策展人
Dr. Jaelyn Eberle is a Professor in Geological Sciences and Curator of Fossil Vertebrates. Her research focuses on the study of mammalian faunas during past intervals of climate change as well as the recovery and evolution of mammals following the mass extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Her field research on fossil mammals takes her all over the Rocky Mountain Region, as well as to the North Slope of Alaska and Canada's High Arctic. 的 courses she teaches at CU Boulder include Historical Geology and Vertebrate Paleontology, 除了在类 博物馆 & 实地研究计划.
Dr. 凯伦的下巴
古生物学家和 三角龙 展览策展人
Dr. 凯伦的下巴 is a Professor and Curator of Paleontology. Her research focuses on reconstructing ancient ecosystems and learning how dinosaurs interacted with less popular extinct organisms. She is best k现在n for her research on fossilized dinosaur dung; this unusual line of inquiry 提供了 information about extinct animals that cannot be extracted from o其他类型的化石. Dr. K是下巴 是 recently honored with the Bromery Award and her story is detailed in her new children’s book, 线索在便便里.