Key Takeaways
- Researchers discovered a potential Triceratops nasal horn fossil in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district
- The fossil is exceptionally well-preserved and dates back 35-40 million years
- This marks a rare dinosaur fossil discovery in India, drawing significant scientific interest
In a remarkable paleontological discovery, researchers have unearthed what appears to be a Triceratops fossil along the banks of the Sahansara River in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district. The fossil, believed to be the nasal horn of the three-horned dinosaur, dates back an estimated 35-40 million years.
Researcher’s Statement on the Discovery
Mohammad Umar Saif, founder of the Natural History and Conservation Centre in Saharanpur, confirmed that part of a dinosaur nose was recently excavated from the site.
“A fresh fossil has been discovered, believed to be of a Triceratops… The fossil is a part of its nose. While we cannot definitively say that it belongs to a Triceratops, it closely resembles other Triceratops fossils found around the world. Its morphology, shape and size are very similar,”
Significance of the Triceratops Fossil
According to Saif, Triceratops typically lived during the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 100.5 to 66 million years ago. The exceptional preservation of this specimen makes it particularly valuable to researchers.
“The fossil is exceptionally well-preserved as as it has completely transformed into sandstone due to heavy mineralisation because it remained buried in the foothills of the Himalayas for approximately 35–40 million years. This is a good discovery,”
This discovery adds to the growing number of ancient fossils reportedly excavated from the region in recent years, continuing to attract significant interest from the scientific community.
