A life reconstruction depicting Ajkaceratops kozmai. (Image: Nature (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09897-w)
Science
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Moneycontrol10-01-2026, 15:27

Europe's 'Missing' Dinosaurs Found: Mistaken Identity Solved by New Study

  • A new study reveals Europe hosted horned dinosaurs (ceratopsians), challenging previous assumptions.
  • Scientists used advanced CT scanning to re-analyze European fossils, including Ajkaceratops from Hungary.
  • Internal skull features of Ajkaceratops, like a sharp hooked beak and vaulted palate, confirmed its ceratopsian identity, previously mistaken for an iguanodontian.
  • A Romanian specimen, now named Ferenceratops, was also reclassified as a horned dinosaur, suggesting many European fossils are misidentified.
  • The findings rewrite Europe's dinosaur record, indicating more diverse Late Cretaceous ecosystems and the spread of ceratopsians via ancient island routes.

Why It Matters: Advanced imaging revealed Europe's 'missing' horned dinosaurs, rewriting the continent's ancient ecosystem history.

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