Starring in Jurassic World: Rebirth, Meet the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History’s Newest Celebrity: Aquilops Americanus

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NORMAN, OKLA – Known from the movie trailers as “The Backpack Dinosaur,” Jurassic World: Rebirth introduces audiences to Aquilops americanus, a small, early relative of Triceratops that makes for the perfect pet-sized companion in this summer’s latest blockbuster.

What you might not know about Aquilops, however, is that the dinosaur’s only known fossil specimen was discovered by researchers from the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, and is currently on display in the museum’s Hall of Ancient Life.

In honor of the museum’s newest paleo-celebrity, The City of Norman has officially recognized June 29 through July 5 as Natural History Week in Norman, in honor of Aquilops and its importance to the scientific community.

Indeed, apart from being an adorable new addition to the Jurassic World cast, Aquilops is the earliest known North American ceratopsid, and an incredibly important specimen that reshaped our understanding of how horned dinosaurs evolved in North America.

Originally discovered in 1997 by paleontologist Scott Madsen, a member of an expeditionary team led by Rich Cifelli, Ph.D., then curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Sam Noble Museum, the team wasn’t initially sure of what they had found. It wasn’t until 2014 when Cifelli and Sam Noble Museum research associates Andrew Farke, Matthew Wedel and W. Desmond Maxwell co-authored the paper officially describing Aquilops americanus as a new species that it became clear how important the specimen was to science.

Now, as their discovery makes its debut on the big screen, the scientists seem to be well-satisfied with Hollywood’s representation.

"From the footage I've seen in the trailers, I think the movie-makers did a pretty darned good job with Aquilops,” said Wedel. “The body proportions look good, the colors and movements are plausible – nothing set off any red flags for me.

“Having seen the animal in the trailer, there is a lot they got right relative to the single skull we have,” Farke added, “The bump on its beak, its small size, its fairly cute appearance. Because there is only a skull, we don't know things like arm and leg proportions, tail length and so on, but we have more complete skeletons for many of the animal’s close relatives. Early horned dinosaurs, including the relatives of Aquilops, didn’t have a ton of variation in their overall body shape, so I think we can be pretty confident that the major features are correct. It’s pretty amazing to know that this critter we named is going to be in a big Hollywood blockbuster – I can't wait to watch the movie!”

To celebrate this exciting moment, the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History will host its own Aquilops Day celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 19, offering special photo opportunities, crafts, dinosaur story time, a presentation by museum paleontologists and free dinosaur-themed snow cones for the first 100 guests.

Beginning July 2 through the end of the month, each visitor who presents their Jurassic World movie ticket receipt or proof of purchase will receive 20% off a general admission ticket to the Sam Noble Museum.