Submitted Abstracts
Abstract by Andrew Beach
Personal Infomation
Presenter's Name
Andrew Beach
Co-Presenters
None
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Co-Authors
None
Abstract Infomation
Department
Geological Sciences
Faculty Advisor
Brooks Britt
Title
Triceratops and Torosaurus synonymy: an evaluation of two BYU specimens
Abstract
Due to the recent controversy surrounding the synonymizing of Torosaurus and Triceratops, two skulls from the BYU Museum of Paleontology have been evaluated. BYU 12183 initially appeared to maintain typical Triceratops morphology, and did not possess mature “Torosaurus” features despite its exceptionally large size. However, examination of the original specimen shows extensive restoration bias, obscuring the original morphology. A second large, un-restored Triceratops frill (BYU 19974) possesses dorso-ventrally compressed epiparietals and episquamosals, a sign of ontogenetic maturity. Significant thinning of the parietal occurs in areas that correspond to the parietal fenestrae observed in “Torosaurus.” These features indicate that it is an ontogenetically transitional form between Triceratops and “Torosaurus.”