Paleontology

Moving a 69-million-year-old dinosaur skull requires patience, care, and — it turns out — a little superglue. Thankfully all three were on hand as fossil restorers returned the skull of Pops the Triceratops to its permanent home at the Weld County Administration Building on Tuesday.

Wednesday is National Fossil Day. The National Park Service has recognized this annual fossil celebration since 2010. This year, parts of Northern Colorado are joining the party for the first time. They are inspired by Pops the triceratops, who has been the official fossil of Weld County since the mid-1980s.

For nearly 40 years, the Weld County Triceratops — affectionately known as “Pops” — has been stuck in an awkward spot for a fossil of its stature. A dinosaur for the people, Pops has been a very public figure, on display behind glass in various county buildings. Yet the most complete horned dinosaur skull ever found in Colorado had never been thoroughly examined by paleontologists, essentially lost to science. Thanks to a new agreement between Weld County leadership and researchers at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, that has now changed.

Imagine something like a velociraptor, but faster and stronger, and with feathers.

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