A newly-discovered relative of the triceratops and named after an ancient god is being unveiled in the US.
Lokiceratops rangiformis, meaning “Loki’s horned face that looks like a caribou”, was announced yesterday in the scientific journal PeerJ.
It lived in swamplands in what is now part of North America, more than 78 million years ago.
The dinosaur, which predates triceratops by about 12 million years, possesses several unique features among its relatives, including the absence of a nose horn; huge, curving blade-like horns on the back of the frill — the largest ever found on a horned dinosaur; and a distinct, asymmetric spike in the middle of the frill.
It was the largest horned dinosaur of its time.
The dinosaur’s horns resemble those on a helmet worn by the Norse god Loki as depicted in Marvel Comics, and later, as part of Tom Hiddleston’s costume in the film adaptations.
A 4000-year-old monument on a Norfolk beach in the UK, dubbed “Seahenge”, could have been used in rituals to control the weather, new research suggests.
The two adjacent timber circles have been dated to the same year of 2049 BCE.
The circle dubbed Holme 1 (pictured) is centred around an inverted oak stump, while Holme 2 has two flat oak planks in the middle.
University of Aberdeen archaeologist Dr David Nance said the structures were both constructed during an ongoing climate period of bitterly cold weather, and were intended to extend the summer and entice the sun’s return.
He said while the oak stump could symbolise the nest of a cuckoo – whose song was thought to represent the summer – the flat planks in Holme 2 suggested a darker purpose.
