The groundbreaking paleontological discovery of Horridus the Triceratops has landed at Melbourne Museum.
67 million years in the making, Melbourne Museum’s new exhibition Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs opened last weekend to sold-out crowds with thousands of visitors roaring in to be among the first in the world to meet ‘Horridus’, the world’s most complete and finely preserved Triceratops.
Named after Triceratops horridus, the species to which Horridus belongs, this Triceratops roamed the Earth during the late Cretaceous, around 66-68 million years ago.
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It was discovered in 2014 on private property in Montana, USA and in July 2021, was carefully packed into eight crates – some as big as a car and weighing up to 50kg – and couriered from Canada to Melbourne in July 2021.
“We are thrilled to introduce Horridus to the world, an exceptional object of majesty and wonder,” says Lynley Crosswell, CEO & Director of Museums Victoria.
“Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs is a spectacular exhibition, remarkable in its ability to captivate dinosaur enthusiasts of any age.
“Now on permanent display as part of the State Collection, Horridus will draw visitors and researchers from around the world who’ll continue to learn from Museums Victoria’s Triceratops, for generations to come.”
This world-first exhibition highlights the uniqueness of Museum Victoria’s Triceratops specimen, which will tell new stories about the history of our planet, life on Earth and the Triceratops itself.
At an impressive 85% complete, visitors to the exhibition (taking over two levels of he museum) come face-to-face with the most formidable herbivorous animal that has ever roamed the planet, highlighting what makes Horridus one of the world’s most important fossil finds in history.
“Being permanently housed at Melbourne Museum means this remarkable fossil will be accessible for generations to come,” says Museums Victoria’s Dr Erich Fitzgerald, Senior Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology.
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Minister for Creative Industries, Danny Pearson, says, “After millions of years Horridus the Triceratops is again making an impact on the world, with thousands of visitors from across Victoria and beyond experiencing the epic attraction. We’re proud to deliver another drawcard to the state that’s pleasing crowds and leading to new understandings of our natural history.”
Horridus is now on permanent display in Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs at Melbourne Museum, supported by the Victorian Government.
Book your visit with Horridus and explore the new Triceratops website here.
