Colorado Springs Official Visitors Guide 2009 - (Page 68) 68 NEARBY COMMUNITIES VisitCOS.com Continued from Page 67 Carpenter could study the ancient dinosaur skull and make a precise replica (cast) of it. In 1997, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science gave a cast of the Camptosaurus skull to the City of Colorado Springs to be exhibited in the Garden of Gods Visitor & Nature Center. It was a rare gift, with an ancient and modern story, but the surprise ending was yet to come. For more than ten years, the dinosaur known as “Campi” had been part of the Jurassic exhibit. But, from the time he made the replica, Dr. Carpenter had his doubts about this dinosaur’s true identity. In 2006, Dr. Carpenter, along with his associate, Kathleen Brill, published a paper – "A Description of a New Ornithopod from the Lytle Member of the Purgatoire Formation (Lower Cretaceous) and a Reassessment of the Skull of Camptosaurus"– that resolved irregularities in the attributes of that skull and its camptosaur heritage – the shape and length of the skull and snout, and the position and shape of nasal and eye-socket openings. Those variations, plus issues with the soils originally surrounding the fossil, have resulted in the designation of the first and only Theiophytalia kerri. The new Cretaceous age Theiophytalia kerri is thus determined to be a new species of dinosaur, the only one known in the world and “belonging to Garden of the Gods.” species of dinosaur Cretaceous age Theiophytalia kerri a new Carpenter Dr. Kenneth AAE0013_CoSpgsVisit_H_FA.pdf 10/6/08 10:47:08 AM www.AAEColoradoSpringsRafting.com 866.929.RAFT World-class whitewater and jaw-dropping scenery combine to make amazing memories that will last a lifetime. http://www.VisitCOS.com http://www.AAEColoradoSpringsRafting.com
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