Possible new dinosaur species discovered in Montana
Paleontologists believe they may have discovered a new species of dinosaur after testing bones that were discovered three years ago in the Judith River Formation of Montana.
The "Ava" dinosaur model displayed Sept. 16, 2015, at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park, Co.
Mark Reis/The Gazette/AP
Dinosaurs can give us remarkable insight into what the world was like millions of years ago. Typically, researchers count themselves lucky if they find a few scattered bones, but archaeologists in Montana unearthed a near-complete skeleton that could belong to a new species.
Three years ago, a field excavation team from stumbled upon over 200 bones in the Judith River Formation in Montana. Dating back 75 million years, the bones were carefully uncovered and removed from solid sandstone. 聽
鈥淢uch to the surprise of the researchers, there was also some that had survived around [the dinosaur's] hip area,鈥� reported CBS News. 鈥淭hey also found some Tyrannosaurus-like teeth, likely related, but don't believe this dinosaur was a scavenger.鈥�
Originally, researchers thought their dinosaur might be of the Avaceratops species, believed to have roamed the Earth during the Late Cretaceous Period, according to the Gazette. Lacking a scientific name, they nicknamed their finding 鈥淎va.鈥�
But after conducting months of research and testing in conjunction with the (RMDRC), they realized there were enough differences to signal they might be looking at a never-before-seen species, though this has yet to be confirmed by experts.
"It's got these on the cheeks of it,鈥� said Anthony Maltese, curator at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center and excavation team member, in an interview with HNGN. 鈥淚t's got spikes all around the frill that aren't usually found on these little, juvenile dinosaurs."
On Wednesday, a cast model of the dinosaur skeleton was revealed at the RMDRC in Woodland Park, Colorado. Nearly 85 percent of the skeleton was original, but a few missing pieces were recreated using digital mirror imaging and 3D printing.
This is nowhere near the first dinosaur discovery for Montana, though. In fact, the Judith River Dinosaur Institute has chronicled , including four brachylophosaurus specimens, dubbed 鈥淓lvis鈥� (1994), 鈥淟eonardo鈥� (2000), 鈥淩oberta鈥�, and 鈥淧eanut鈥� (2004).
Touted as a 鈥�,鈥� Montana even has its own that includes fourteen dinosaur museums, state parks, and field digs, offering a complete hands-on experience.
鈥淢any have described [paleontology] as a surreal experience 鈥� something hard to describe but life-changing nonetheless,鈥� writes the Judith River Dinosaur Institute. 鈥淪ome have come to appreciate not just the fossils but our place as humans within earth鈥檚 vast timeline.鈥�