Ancient Bone Fragments Give Insight Into 'Spiclypeus Shipporum', New Ceratopsid Species

Some bone fragments were found by accident on the property of Bill Shipp near Winifred, Mont. about 10 years ago. They have now led to the identification of a species of horned dinosaur or ceratopsids. The new species, Spiclypeus shipporum, is the ninth dinosaur species that was discovered in the Judith River Formation in Montana.

The skull, backbone, hips, and part of the legs, all part of a single dinosaur, is preserved in a silty slope that was once part of an ancient floodplain.

Ceratopsids were megaherbivores, They evolved during the Late Cretaceous period and then shifted into North America and Asia. Being among the most expansive dinosaur clans, their horned skulls, and ornamental frills made them distinct.

The bones above their eyes, oriented sideways from the skull, make the Spiclypeus shipporum conspicuous among ceratopsids. Moreover, they had unique bony spikes on the edge of their frill, that varied in their orientation. Some of the spikes projected outwards while a few more curled.

"This is a spectacular new addition to the family of horned dinosaurs that roamed western North America between 85 and 66 million years ago," said Jordan Mallon of the Canadian Museum of Nature and lead author of the study. "It provides new evidence of dinosaur diversity during the Late Cretaceous period from an area that is likely to yield even more discoveries."

The bones showed signs of infection and arthritis.

"If you look near the elbow, you can see great openings that developed to drain an infection," Mallon said. "We don't know how the bone became infected, but we can be sure that it caused the animal great pain for years and probably made its left forelimb useless for walking."

The more mature dinosaur was about 10 years old when it died.

The findings were published May 18 in the journal PLOS One.