Colorado State University Professor Makes 78-Million-Year-Old Discovery

As a state, Colorado has some amazing archeological discoveries you can see for yourself.

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Recently, ancient art was found by archeologists at Mesa Verde. It is believed to be as old as the 3rd century A.D.

You can also see places like Trinidad Lake State Park, which has evidence of an asteroid that you can see for yourself.

However, a Colorado State University professor and Colorado native just made an absolutely astonishing discovery dating back millions of years.

CSU Professor Helps Discover New Dinosaur in Montana

A new dinosaur has just been discovered in Montana, and it now will forever have ties to Colorado State University and a Norse god.

Meet Lokiceratops rangiformis, the brand new discovery of CSU affiliate faculty member Joseph Sertich along with Mark Loewen, a professor with the University of Utah.

Sertich has taught several classes at CSU and has also led student digs in the past. He also is a Colorado native and worked at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science as their dinosaur curator.

He has also had a hand in discovering over 20 different dinosaurs, helping play a critical role in our understanding of these ancient animals.

The new dinosaur commonly referred to as “Loki” was found near the border of the United States and Canada.

According to CSU’s Warner College of Natural Resources, Sertich and Loewen painstakingly constructed the skull they found.

When doing so, they actually had no idea it was going to be a new discovery at all.

Lokiceratops rangiformis is an Ancestor of the Triceratops

If you look at a picture of Loki, you’ll notice that it has a striking resemblance to the Triceratops, which is by no means a coincidence.

Loki walked the earth a full 12 million years before the Triceratops, serving as their direct ancestors.

The dinosaur is estimated by Sertich and Loewen to have weighed as much as 11,000 pounds and 22 feet long, making it the largest member of the horned dinosaurs in North America.

A replica of the dinosaur was unveiled at the Natural History Museum of Utah, while the actual bones themselves will be sent to Denmark at the Museum of Evolution for display.