There is a classic image in the minds of many dinosaur-lovers… of the horned Triceratops defending itself from the attack of Tyrannosaurus rex. But were the horns just for defense from predators? Modern science has revealed that the fantastic horns and frills of Triceratops and its relatives were more than just for defense… they were for romance! Imagine these horrific beasts battling each other on the Cretaceous plains, fighting off rival bulls and courting mates. And Triceratops was just one of many. These giant animals once covered the open plains of North America and Asia in vast herds of spectacular variety, like the antelope on the plains of the Serengeti today.
On May 18 at Dinosaur Journey, our 2018 Special Summer Exhibition Horns & Frills opens to the public. This exhibition explores the amazing diversity and grandeur of ceratopsians. Eleven different species will be featured in this exhibit, combining our existing Triceratops displays with new skulls and a cast skeleton of Utahceratops gettyi from our partners at Fruita’s own Gaston Design, Inc. Discover how these strange and elaborate frills and horns were used in courtship and combat, how they changed during growth and throughout the group’s evolutionary history.
This special exhibition is included with regular admission to Dinosaur Journey and, of course, is free to members. Horns & Frills will run from May 18-September 16, 2018. Once the exhibition closes some of the displays will remain permanently at Dinosaur Journey (including the skull of Utah ceratopsian Diabloceratops), while others will be returned to Gaston Design, Inc. We hope you will join us this summer for Horns & Frills!
The Horns and Frills exhibit is sponsored in part by US Bank and Gaston Design. Major support also provided by Family Health West; FCI Constructors; and Chadwick, Steinkirchner, Davis & Co. Additional support provided Merge2Media; NewsChannel5; City of Fruita; the Bureau of Land Management; and Whitewater Hill Vineyards.