Horned 'Hellboy' dinosaur unearthed in southern Alberta

Saturday, June 6, 2015, 1:47 PM - Move over Ron Perlman. There's a new Hellboy in town.

Scientists have unveiled a newly discovered genus and species of horned dinosaur with a fossil estimated to be about 70 million years old, according to the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta.

A relative of the Triceratops, Regaliceratops peterhewsi roamed the Earth during the Cretaceous Period with some very unique physical traits.

While most horned species are characterized by a small nose horn and large horns over the eyes, the latest fossil bears opposite features.

Scientists nicknamed the recent discovery 'Hellboy,' after the infamous comic book character.

The name was inspired by the difficulties by faced by scientists when it came to excavating the fossil bones, which were encase din hard rock within the ground.

The enlarged skull and large horns of the prehistoric beast are also reminiscent of the fictional demon hero.

The frill of the dinosaur is described as including a "halo of large, pentagonal plates radiating outward, as well as a central spike,” giving the it the appearance of wearing a crown.

The first piece of 'Hellboy' was discovered in 2005 by a geologist from Calgary, who came upon the snout emerging from a cliff along the Oldman River in southwestern Alberta. 

It is the first horned dinosaur fossil to be found in this part of Canada.

Research on this specimen was led by Royal Tyrrell Museum scientists Dr. Caleb Brown, Post-doctoral Fellow, and Dr. Donald Henderson, Curator of Dinosaurs.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum is home to a vast collection of fossils, the majority of which have been discovered in the Canadian Badlands.

Source: Royal Tyrrell Museum

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