Scientists introduce exotic horned dinosaur dubbed 'Hellboy'


Everyone, say hello to Hellboy.
Geologists first discovered the dinosaur's fossilized skull along Alberta's Oldman River in 2005, Reuters reports. The skull took some time to extract, though, as it was stuck tight within the limestone riverbank. Paleontologists are fascinated by the finally-freed skull, which features stubby, exotic horns around the facial area of the fossil.
Officially named Regaliceratops peterhewsi ("royal horned face" combined with the name of the geologist who discovered the skull, Peter Hews), "Hellboy" soon became the newly identified dinosaur's unofficial moniker due to its resemblance to the comic book character.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"This new animal is definitely one of the weirdest horned dinosaurs," Caleb Brown of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology told Reuters. "How weird it is really only becomes fully apparent when you compare it to its close relatives, in which case it stands out like a sore thumb."
Poor Hellboy, still being singled out 68 million years after his entombment.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
-
What will be Warren Buffett's legacy?
Talking Points Observers call him 'the greatest investor of all time.'
-
Art review: "Wayne Thiebaud: Art Comes From Art"
Feature At the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, through Aug. 17
-
What are certificates of deposit and how do they work?
The Explainer CDs may be the right solution for your savings goals
-
Sea lion proves animals can keep a beat
speed read A sea lion named Ronan beat a group of college students in a rhythmic dance-off, says new study
-
Humans heal much slower than other mammals
Speed Read Slower healing may have been an evolutionary trade-off when we shed fur for sweat glands
-
Novel 'bone collector' caterpillar wears its prey
Speed Read Hawaiian scientists discover a carnivorous caterpillar that decorates its shell with the body parts of dead insects
-
Scientists find hint of alien life on distant world
Speed Read NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has detected a possible signature of life on planet K2-18b
-
Katy Perry, Gayle King visit space on Bezos rocket
Speed Read Six well-known women went into lower orbit for 11 minutes
-
Scientists map miles of wiring in mouse brain
Speed Read Researchers have created the 'largest and most detailed wiring diagram of a mammalian brain to date,' said Nature
-
Scientists genetically revive extinct 'dire wolves'
Speed Read A 'de-extinction' company has revived the species made popular by HBO's 'Game of Thrones'
-
Dark energy may not doom the universe, data suggests
Speed Read The dark energy pushing the universe apart appears to be weakening