Chasmosaurus irvinensis

In the Museum

The Museum team (from front to back): Clayton Kennedy, Rob Holmes, and Kieran Shepherd.

The specimen in Nature's collection is the one on which the "definition" of the species Chasmosaurus irvinensis is based. This specimen is thus the holotype, which is the first specimen of a species to be scientifically described and named. This specimen is therefore the most important reference for palaeontologists who study these dinosaurs.

Technicians have cleaned and prepared the skull of the fossil specimen and a model was made of it. Visitors to the Museum can see this replica, along with a full-sized, fleshed-out model of a Chasmosaurus irvinensis at our museum.

The Canadian Museum of Nature has many ceratopsid specimens, including some complete skulls and skeletons. Nature's collection includes two other Chasmosaurus holotype specimens: Chasmosaurus belli and Chasmosaurus russelli.

The complete skull on display in the Museum was made using casts of these fragments of the fossil specimen's skull.	This model of Chasmosaurus irvinensis will be on display in the new fossil gallery of the Canadian Museum of Nature in 2006.