New Dino Found in Montana, See it on the ‘Dinosaur Trail’

It’s been a while since the very first Jurassic Park movie was released back in 1993, but those that remember the opening, will know that it starts off in a place called Snakewater, Montana. With the latest release in the Jurassic Park franchise hitting movie theaters this Friday, the state of Montana is trying to leverage its Jurassic Park connections for tourist season. Jan Stoddard from the Department of Commerce explains.

"A lot of people don't realize that our dinosaurs were actually integral to the making of the Jurassic Park film series," Stoddard said. "It was based indirectly on a lot of the work that Dr. Jack Horner did here in Montana. A lot of people don't realize that we have some unique dinosaurs. In fact, a new species was discovered and is being featured in one of our museums in Malta this year."

A chain of Museums across the state are participating in the “dinosaur trail” this summer.

"Believe it or not, we have 14 museums across 12 communities that all feature dinosaurs specific to that area and a lot of dinosaur history along what we call the Montana dinosaur trail," Stoddard said. "Over 331,000 people visited the dinosaur trail in 2016."

This year a new horned dinosaur, like a triceratops, but with only two horns, is on display at the museum in Malta. Though the dinosaur’s name hasn’t yet been released, Stoddard insists that it will have a Montana connection.