Triceratops and Torosaurus a Single Species

One of the most well-known dinosaurs, the Triceratops, has been re-classed as a member of the lesser known species, Torosaurus. John Scannella and Jack Horner, researchers at the Museum of the Rockies, suggest that Triceratops is actually a juvenile version of Torosaurus, a species that apparently went through extreme morphological changes at it matures. So much so, that the fossils of each species appeared, until now, to be separate species. It’s not so hard to believe. There are plenty of species that are un-recognizable from juvenile to adult: frogs, many insects, several fish species, etc. What’s special about this case is that these dinosaurs’ had large horns and “frill” that appear to made of bone. How can bone morph like that? It would have been possible because as a juvenile, the horns and frill were underdeveloped and “spongy”, and didn’t harden into true bone until they matured. Apparently, Torosaurus will [...]