Paleontologists Unearth New, Herbivorous Horned Dinosaur in Utah:

This dinosaur may look like Triceratops with its fan-like head, large snout and horns--but it's definitely not one. Paleontologists have recently unearthed a skull that looks vaguely like the more-famous dinosaur but has a set of unique features that sets it apart. It turns out that, in fact, the researchers have discovered a new dinosaur.

The dinosaur is named Nasutoceratops titusi, which means big-nose, horn-face. Estimated to have stretched about 15 feet long and weighed 2.5 tons, this large herbivore roamed the Earth about 75 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period. It was part of a group of horned dinosaurs, or "ceratopsids," which were big-bodied and four-footed. As epitomized by Triceratops, most members of this group have huge skulls bearing a single horn over the nose, one horn over each eye, and an elongate, bony frill at the rear. While it focused on eating plants, though, this creature probably was a fearsome figure to see amidst the other large dinosaurs that characterized the period. 

"The horns are by far the absolute largest of any member of tits group of dinosaurs--they curve sideways and forwards," said Mark Loewen from the University of Utah, in an interview with BBC News. "In addition, it has the biggest nose of its group too."

The large horns probably weren't used to deter predators or rivals, though. Instead, these large pieces of bone were likely used to attract mates.

"Mates thought they were sexy," said Loewen in an interview with LiveScience.

The new fossil was discovered at the Kaiparowits Formation, according to Nature. The region is part of the western United States and was once a long, thin island called Laramidia when Nasutoceratops still lived. This island was cut off from the rest of North America by a warm sea, and many of the creatures that made their homes there were separated into similar but distinct species at the north and south of the island. There, these animals thrived in dense, leafy forests, streams and swamps.

What is most unusual about this find, though, is the fact that so many of these large animals were found in similar locations. This suggests that they could co-exist and that there were enough resources to feed all of these large herbivores.

"All of these animals are upwards of three tons...You have an environment where you have all of these large herbivores competing for food," said Loewen in an interview with BBC News. "We aren't really sure how you can support all of these animals, but you do find them all in the rock at the same time."

 The researchers describe the new dinosaur in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.