Mercury Top the Dinosaur

The dinosaur called Mercuriceratops gemini has been discovered in a well-populated dinosaur graveyard called the Dinosaur Park Formation in Alberta, Canada. Unlike the Roman character Mercury, this one was not named because it was a messenger of the dinosaur gods. Rather, it has frills on its head that reminded people of the wings on the head of that particular Roman.

Mercury by Evelyn de Morgan

As is so typical of evolutionary paleontologists, they see evolution instead of variation. In fact, even though most of the creature has not been recovered (only some skull bones), there is already speculation as to the purpose of the frills on the head. What is more interesting than this less-than-frilling relative of Triceratops is the story that the massive boneyard itself reveals.

Sporting wing-like frills on the side of its head, Mercuriceratops gemini, like its winged messenger namesake among the gods of classical mythology, is said to deliver a new chapter to the evolutionary history of horned dinosaurs in North America. The fossil record of this diverse group of big Cretaceous herbivores just got more diverse, surprising many evolutionists searching for the hidden evolutionary message in the twin finds.

You can finish reading by heading over to "Mercuriceratops Delivers a Message from the Past".



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