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Construction sites have uncovered some astonishing ancient discoveries: from ancient harbors and Stone Age dwellings to lost cemeteries, burial sites, and even King Richard III's bones. Now, according to The Denver Post, workers in Thornton, just north of Denver, have unearthed a 66-million-year-old Triceratops skull, along with other fossils, while preparing land for a new public safety building. This is a remarkable find, as most fossils in the area date back only about 12,000 years.
Rather than continuing to dig, which might have damaged the skeleton, the workers wisely reached out to experts for assistance. Joe Sertich, the dinosaur curator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, was called to assess the bones.
"This is the kind of discovery we live for as curators—getting the call about a possible fossil and confirming it’s not just any fossil, but one that breaks records!" Sertich shared in a statement.
On August 30, 2017, museum staff, construction workers, and volunteers participated in the excavation of the skeleton. | Denver Museum of Nature & ScienceTo date, scientists and volunteers have uncovered the skull, two horns, part of the dinosaur's frill, shoulder bones, the beak at the front of its lower jaw, as well as ribs and vertebrae. The skeleton appears to be disassembled, suggesting the dinosaur may have died and lain on the ground for several days to weeks, according to The Washington Post. As it decomposed, its flesh and bones scattered, and other dinosaurs, like T. rex, might have taken bites from the remains.
Joe Sertich, the dinosaur curator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, speaks with a construction worker as he leads the excavation of a newly found Triceratops skeleton in Thornton, Colorado. | Denver Museum of Nature & ScienceExperts believe the triceratops skeleton could be the most complete Cretaceous dinosaur ever found in the Front Range region, and one of the oldest fossils known. They've also pointed out that this newly discovered dinosaur fits a larger trend: triceratops found in the Denver area are typically only half the size of those discovered in the Dakotas and Montana.
A close-up shot of the triceratops fossil during the excavation process. | Denver Museum of Nature & Science"We’re not entirely sure why this is the case," Sertich explained during a Facebook Live broadcast. "Even though we’ve discovered hundreds of triceratops in the American West, only three skulls are in good condition. This could be one of the best skeletons to help us understand why triceratops in Denver are smaller than their relatives in other regions."
