A recently uncovered Triceratops skull could be the biggest ever found, according to a fossil hunter who hopes to sell it for more than $1million.
Alan Detrich bought the skull from a colleague who unearthed it near Buffalo, New York, and is planning to clean it up and attach it to the body of another Triceratops before selling it on.
He estimates the decapitated dinosaur was at least twice as big as an elephant, the modern day animal to which Triceratops are usually compared in size.
Biggest ever? The Triceratops skull unearthed near Buffalo, New York, that one fossil hunter believes may be the biggest ever found
Valuable: Alan Detrich, pictured left preparing the skull for transport, bought the skull of a fellow fossil hunter and hopes to sell it on for more than $1million
However, experts will not know how the size of the skull compares to others until the cleaning process is completed, which is likely to take as long as a year-and-a-half, the Rapid City Journal reported.
The paper caught up with Mr Detrich has he transported the eight-foot skull through their patch on a flat-bed truck on his way to Wyoming.
On his way he stopped at the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research for help with analysis of the skull. The institute’s president Pete Larson was impressed with the find, but couldn’t confirm it was the biggest ever.
HOW DID T-REX EAT TRICERATOPS?
Tyrannosaurus Rex used its fiercely strong jaw and neck muscles to literally rip the head off Triceratops after killing the huge armoured creatures, a new theory claims.
Research into Triceratops fossils from the U.S. shows that the Jurassic apex predator first slew its prey, then wrenched off its head in order to get to nutrient-rich neck meat hidden by body armour.
Tyrannosaurus was well known to feed on the Triceratops but until now few have questioned how it got around the herbivore’s tough neck frill.
Mr Larson told the Journal the creature has a ‘huge’ 16in nasal horn.
‘It’s definitely big,’ he said. ‘There’s no question about that.’
Native only to the Western U.S., Triceratops lived about 66million years ago.
One of the most recognisable of all dinosaurs, the stocky herbivores had three horns and a large bony frill which covered their necks.
It shared its habitat with and was a frequent meal of the fearsome Tyrannosaurus, with which it is popularly represented as doing battle.
They are also thought to have turned their horns on rivals in battles for dominance and courtship displays.
Despite their fame, there are thought to be only six mounts of original Triceratops skeletons in existence.
‘Skeletons are quite rare even though they’re really well-known,’ Mr Larson told the Journal,
He added that skulls are more common, although there are still only about 100 that have been recovered.
Huge: Mr Detrich believes the owner of the skull may have been twice the size of an elephant, the modern day animal to which Triceratops are usually compared in size
Rare: He hopes to pair the skull with a skeleton he’s unearthing near Fort Peck, Montana, before selling the complete dinosaur. There are thought to be currently only six complete Triceratops in existence
Mr Detrich, who has been a fossil hunter since the Nineties, bought the skull from fellow fossil hunter John Carter who dug it out of the ground over a few months.
He now hopes to pair the skull with a skeleton he’s in the process of digging up near Fort Peck, Montana, before selling the complete dinosaur.
He told the Journal he expects the find to be valuable. ‘Oh yeah, it’s going to be over a million bucks,’ he said.