Meet Lokiceratops, A Giant Dinosaur With Blade-Like Horns

The Intermountain West is a dinosaur nerd’s dream because it’s such a hotspot for fossils. Some of the most famous dino fossils in the world, like T. rex, triceratops, and stegosaurus can be found in western North America. So, of course, Science Friday couldn’t go to Salt Lake City, Utah, without digging into some dinosaur science.

At a live event in Salt Lake City in March, Host Ira Flatow spoke with the scientists behind the discovery of Lokiceratops, a large dinosaur with impressive horns that was unveiled in 2024. Dr. Mark Loewen, vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Utah and the Natural History Museum of Utah; and Savhannah Carpenter, paleontologist and school outreach coordinator at the Natural History Museum of Utah, discuss how they figured out Loki was a new dinosaur, the process of describing and naming the fossil, and what it taught them about dino evolution.

Further Reading

• In our “Build A Model Dinosaur” educational resource, you can gather fossil evidence of natural history, physiology, and behavior to design and build a model dinosaur—then animate it!
• If you’re an educator or caretaker interested in more dino-themed activities for young scientists, check out our collection.
• Read more coverage of Lokiceratops via Science News.