Twelve Days of Dinosaurs: An NHMU Holiday Celebration

By Olivia Barney

We’re kicking off the holiday season at NHMU in typical museum fashion by looking to the past — approximately 66–250 million years ago — and delivering Twelve Days of Dinosaurs to your door (ahem, inbox). Visit this page each day (December 1-12) to discover a new featured dinosaur of the day. NHMU’s paleontology team hand-picked species especially significant to Utah (as well as a few of their personal favorites) to help you discover something new each day.

Day twelve will bring an extra special surprise that you don't want to miss.

Why Twelve Days of Dinosaurs? 

People are inherently curious — and that curiosity is a gift which inspires innovative technologies, breakthrough medical treatments, and a continual exploration of the world around us. Part of NHMU’s mission is to encourage that spirit of discovery among all who walk through our doors: students, families, and researchers alike. A large branch of the research conducted at the museum explores the history, habits, and diets of Utah’s prehistoric inhabitants — the most famous of which are dinosaurs. 

Our current understanding of dinosaurs is vastly different than what it used to be, primarily because science is a process of discovery. New evidence allows us to alter our assumptions and expand our understanding. Utah’s desert landscape contains an abundance of fossil records, making it one of the best places in the world to study paleontology. These discoveries are often shared through events like DinoFest, which is coming up in January 2025. 

And what better way to prepare for the biggest dino event of the year than by brushing up on a few of NHMU’s favorite species. Dinosaur lovers unite — we’re diving into a twelve-day dinosaur review! 

On the First Day of Dinosaurs My True Love Gave to Me: A Ceratosaurus nasicornis 

(Pronunciation: sir-AT-toe-SORE-us nay-si-CORN-iss)

The Ceratosaurus was a ferocious predator unlike any other. While Ceratosaurus fossils are rare, they’re instantly recognizable — horn-like crests adorned its nose and eyes, and a row of bony armor, called osteoderms, ran along its back. Ceratosaurus lived at the same time as its famous relative, Allosaurus fragilis, but was significantly smaller. There's a lot paleontologist don’t yet know about the Ceratosaurus, partially because of how rare their fossils are. The Ceratosaurus displayed in the Past Worlds exhibition was uncovered at the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry (a large dinosaur graveyard in the desert of central Utah). It’s unique, even for a Ceratosaurus; the specimen displayed at the Natural History Museum of Utah is one of the largest Ceratosaurus skeletons uncovered — and to date, it’s the only one to have been found with osteoderms.