Triceratops news goes down badly

A torosaurus, from now on classified as a triceratops. Photo / Supplied.

In scientific terms it is clearly huge. And the impact was no doubt felt in households around the world ... at least those with young children.

When scientists announced this week that the triceratops was not actually a separate species of dinosaur but in fact a young torosaurus, I quickly texted my nephew. He still plays with Lego but has outgrown dinosaurs. But I knew his 6-year-old son Sean would be interested even if he may find the discovery a bit upsetting.

"Maybe I shouldn't tell him," my nephew replied. Like most children, Sean has a soft spot for the tank-like three-horned triceratops.

A couple of minutes later another text arrived: "I've told him. He's looking up other dinosaurs it could be. He has a torosaurus in his book. He thinks it could be a chasmosaurus."

He may have been on to something. All three are listed as ceratopsids.

The scientists who made this week's triceratops claim, whose research was published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, had a bit more to work with, however.

John Scannella and Jack Horner at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, made their findings after analysing what were thought to be triceratops and torosaurus skulls.

Both had three horns but they were at different angles. Both also had neck frills, although the torosaurus's was thinner, smoother and had two holes in it.

The difference, they claim, came with age. The triceratops was just a young version of a torosaurus whose horns changed shape as it aged. They also believe that when the dinosaur reached maturity, the holes developed in its neck-frill.

From now on, the torosaurus is no more, and has been reclassified as triceratops.

It wouldn't be the first case of mistaken dinosaur identity. It was discovered in 1975 that the brontosaurus was in fact a juvenile version of an apatosaurus but with a camarasaurus skull.

All of this would have been of little consolation to young Sean, who went to bed not knowing who to trust.

"Seems you were right, that did upset him," my nephew texted.

"Did he take it that badly?" I asked.

"Well, he has quite an attachment to them," he replied. "But he's most upset that now all his books are wrong."