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[title]Horridus the Triceratops has landed at Melbourne Museum after a long journey from its site of discovery in Montana, USA.
Horridus (named after its species Triceratops Horridus) weighs in at more than 1000kg and is comprised of 266 bones, making it the most complete Triceratops skeleton in the world.
According to experts, Horridus roamed the earth 66-68 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period and at 6 metres long, was larger than a full-grown African elephant. Triceratops were one of the last known non-bird dinosaurs who roamed the earth right up until the day an asteroid collided with the earth and caused a global mass extinction.
Lynley Crosswell, CEO and Director of Museums Victoria, says that Horridus is a very important discovery, “Horridus is one of the most internationally significant dinosaurs ever discovered and its home is now at Melbourne Museum." Crosswell hopes that Horridus will be a multigenerational attraction for many years to come.
Horridus arrived in Melbourne in eight crates with some as big as a car and weighing more than 500kg.
Horridus is being reassembled by an expert team of palaeontologists and museum staff and will be on permanent display at Melbourne Museum in 2022 as part of the museum's new exhibition.