Dueling Dinosaurs

Short description: Specimen of Nanotyrannus and Triceratops

Not to be confused with Fighting Dinosaurs.

Idealized reconstruction at the specimens in their in situ poses at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The actual specimens had to be taken apart to be transported, and are thus no longer in the same pose as they were found.

The Dueling Dinosaurs are a fossil specimen originating from the Hell Creek Formation of Montana, United States, discovered in 2006. It consists of the articulated skeletons of a Nanotyrannus lancensis[1] and Triceratops horridus individual associated in a sandstone block. This fossil remained obscure for decades due to a lengthy legal dispute over property rights to the specimen, which has since been resolved as the specimen resides in the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The "dueling" inference comes from the numerous injuries sustained by both dinosaurs, including a tooth from the tyrannosaur embedded within the Triceratops, although it is not known whether they were actually buried fighting one another.[2] In addition to being an extremely rare paleontological discovery, the Dueling Dinosaurs fossil provides significant insight into the behavior and biology of both species in life.[3][4][5]

## Contents

* 1 Discovery and preparation
* 2 Legal ownership and auction
* 3 Scientific research and analysis
* 4 Exhibit
* 5 Significance
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links

## Discovery and preparation

The Dueling Dinosaurs specimen was discovered in 2006 by ranchers Clayton Phipps, Mark Eatman, and Chad O'Connor in Montana. Two different ranching families, the Seversons and the Murrays, owned the land on which the fossils were found. Phipps enlisted the help of CK Preparations, run by preparator Chris Morrow and paleoartist Katie Busch, to prepare the specimen. Upon first inspection, the two dinosaurs were assumed to have died while locked in combat, but subsequent analyses have suggested that the preserved postures might have formed as a result of the burial process.[6][7][8]

## Legal ownership and auction

Error creating thumbnail: Cast of the "Bloody Mary" skull

The Dueling Dinosaurs remained obscure until 2011, when a marketing campaign, including a dedicated website, was launched by the ranchers (with the assistance of commercial paleontologist Pete Larson) to sell them to a prospective buyer. The ranchers unsuccessfully tried to sell the fossil to several museums, including the Smithsonian and the Museum of the Rockies. With no buyers, the fossils were slated to be sold to a private collector instead. In 2013, Larson presented a poster about the tyrannosaur (also known by its nicknames "Bloody Mary" and "Manteo",[9][10] specimen number NCSM 40000,[1] formerly BHI 6437[11]) at the annual Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting, pronouncing it as a potential specimen of the debated tyrannosaur genus "Nanotyrannus".[12] This presentation was met with significant controversy and ethical complaints, due to the opposition surrounding publishing on privately owned specimens. Shortly afterwards, the specimens went on sale, including auctioning at Bonhams, but no purchase was made.[13][14][15]

In 2016, Lindsay Zanno of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences reached out to Phipps, starting negotiations to purchase the fossil, with funds being raised through the private nonprofit Friends of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. However, legal issues over the rightful ownership of the fossils slowed these negotiations: the Seversons had most of the control over mineral rights on Murray land, and whether fossils could be considered minerals (in which case the Seversons would have rights to it) was disputed. Although a previous court had ruled in favor of the Murrays, in November 2018 judges ruled in favor of the Seversons and that fossils could legally be considered minerals in Montana, angering many paleontologists. However, the case was appealed to the Montana Supreme Court in 2020, who ruled that fossils could not be considered minerals, allowing for the Museum of Natural Sciences to acquire the fossils. The resolution to this dispute is significant for all paleontological discoveries as it set a precedent for all fossils unearthed within or outside of Montana.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]

## Scientific research and analysis

The specimens undergoing preparation at the NCMNS, June 2024

Scientific examination of the Dueling Dinosaurs is currently ongoing at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The usage of non-destructive scientific instruments, such as CT scans, is expected to reveal more information on this fossil. The specimen has been considered one of the best-preserved and most complete fossils of both species of Triceratops and Nanotyrannus (the latter being over 98% complete),[24] and contains skin impressions, and potentially internal organs, stomach contents, and proteins.[25][26][27] In 2025 Lindsay Zanno and James Napoli showed that the "Bloody Mary" tyrannosauroid skeleton was not a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex as previously assumed, but a fully grown Nanotyrannus lancensis. The researchers determined that the individual was around twenty years old when it died, with fewer vertebrae and more teeth than T. rex.[1]

## Exhibit

The specimens were officially revealed to the public in April 2024 after the lengthy legal dispute, in a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by then-state governor Roy Cooper.[28] The fossil is in the possession of and being studied by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.[29] The preparation laboratory is open for public viewing to give insight to how fossils are curated, and is the centerpiece of the paleontology wing of the museum.[30]

## Significance

Cast of a skin impression from the foot of the Nanotyrannus

For a long time, paleontologists, artists, and filmmakers have speculated of combat between tyrannosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex and ceratopsians such as Triceratops. However, direct evidence of this occurring is rare.

The Dueling Dinosaurs fossil is thus highly significant in that it shows irrefutable direct evidence of a violent interaction between a Triceratops and a tyrannosaurid (although the prevailing consensus has now distinguished Nanotyrannus from Tyrannosaurus as distinct genera).

The legal battle over the Dueling Dinosaurs fossil is also significant for the paleontological community. It ultimately resulted in legislation that benefits paleontologists and the scientific community. This is especially significant for the state of Montana, which boasts a large abundance of high-quality fossils that will greatly expand paleontological knowledge if the fossils are received by the scientific community rather than private collections.[citation needed]

The Dueling Dinosaurs are considered one of the most significant fossils ever recovered from the Hell Creek Formation due to their high percentage of completeness, exceptional preservation, preserved articulation and potential behavioral significance. The way in which these two species were fossilized provides rare insight into the behaviors of the Nanotyrannus and Triceratops, and constitutes an invaluable window into interaction between the two species.[citation needed]

## See also

* Fighting Dinosaurs, another fossil specimen preserving a theropod fighting a ceratopsian, in this case Velociraptor and Protoceratops.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Zanno, L.E.; Napoli, J.G. (2025-10-30). "Nanotyrannus and Tyrannosaurus coexisted at the close of the Cretaceous". Nature 648 (8093): 357–367. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09801-6. PMID 41167514. Bibcode: 2025Natur.648..357Z.
2. ↑ ""Profile: Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus"". https://www.ndstudies.gov/gr4/geology-geography-and-climate/part-1-geology/profile-triceratops-and-tyrannosaurus-rex.
3. ↑ "'Dueling Dinosaurs' fossil, hidden from science for 14 years, could finally reveal its secrets" (in en). National Geographic. 2020-11-17. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/11/dueling-dinosaurs-fossil-finally-set-to-reveal-secrets/.
4. ↑ "'Dueling dinosaurs' fossils show Triceratops, T. rex, may have died after a battle". https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/dueling-dinosaurs-fossils-show-triceratops-t-rex-may-have-died-after-a-battle/ar-BB1b6Fb9.
5. ↑ Patrick, Jessica; Armstrong, Rick (2020-11-17). "NC Museum of Natural Sciences unveils world's first complete T. rex" (in en). https://www.wral.com/nc-museum-of-natural-sciences-unveils-worlds-first-complete-t-rex/19388011/.
6. ↑ Bowley, Graham (2013-07-29). "Clashing Titans for Sale" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/30/arts/design/dinosaur-skeletons-headed-to-auction-not-museum.html.
7. ↑ Magazine, Smithsonian; Sager, Mike. "Will the Public Ever Get to See the "Dueling Dinosaurs"?" (in en). https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/public-ever-see-dueling-dinosaurs-180963676/.
8. ↑ Roberts, Eric (July 16, 2025). "High precision CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon age for the Dueling Dinosaur locality, with implications for regional correlation, basal age and duration of the Hell Creek Formation, Montana". bioRxiv 10.1101/2025.07.10.664044.
9. ↑ Coles, Phil (director) (June 6, 2015). Dino Death Match (television production). United States: National Geographic.
10. ↑ "Meet the Dueling Dinosaurs — Murphy and Manteo". 2025-12-10. https://www.dncr.nc.gov/news/press-releases/2025/12/10/meet-dueling-dinosaurs-murphy-and-manteo.
11. ↑ Persons IV, W. Scott; Currie, Philip J. (2016-01-27). "An approach to scoring cursorial limb proportions in carnivorous dinosaurs and an attempt to account for allometry". Scientific Reports 6 (1). doi:10.1038/srep19828. ISSN 2045-2322. PMID 26813782. Bibcode: 2016NatSR...619828P.
12. ↑ Larson, P. (2013). "The validity of Nanotyrannus lancensis (Theropoda, Lancian - Upper Maastrichtian of North America". Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 73rd Annual Meeting. p. 159. https://vertpaleo.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SVP-2013-merged-book-10-15-2013.pdf.
13. ↑ Bowley, Graham (2013-07-29). "Clashing Titans for Sale" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/30/arts/design/dinosaur-skeletons-headed-to-auction-not-museum.html.
14. ↑ "Auction Block Dinosaur Stirs Controversy at SVP" (in en). 2013-11-02. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/auction-block-dinosaur-stirs-controversy-at-svp.
15. ↑ "Nanotyrannus lancensis (Gilmore 1946)" (in en). https://www.gbif.org/species/168816243.
16. ↑ "'Dueling Dinosaurs' fossil, hidden from science for 14 years, could finally reveal its secrets" (in en). National Geographic. 2020-11-17. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/11/dueling-dinosaurs-fossil-finally-set-to-reveal-secrets/.
17. ↑ Pantuso, Phillip (2019-07-17). "Perhaps the best dinosaur fossil ever discovered. So why has hardly anyone seen it?" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/17/montana-fossilized-dueling-dinosaurs-skeletons-dino-cowboy.
18. ↑ "Millions at stake in Montana dinosaur fight: Are fossils minerals?" (in en-US). 2019-11-08. https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2019-11-07/dinosaur-fossils-minerals.
19. ↑ Sager, Mike. "Will the Public Ever Get to See the "Dueling Dinosaurs"?" (in en). https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/public-ever-see-dueling-dinosaurs-180963676/.
20. ↑ "'Dueling dinosaurs' of Hell Creek find home in North Carolina museum" (in en). 2020-11-17. http://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/nov/17/dueling-dinosaurs-hell-creek-north-carolina-museum.
21. ↑ Mazurek, Sara (2020). "The Dinosaur in the Living Room: A Proposal to Enable Academic Access to Fossils Discovered on Private Land". Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal 31 (1): 68. https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1769&context=iplj.
22. ↑ Hayden, Bryce (August 2021). "That T-Rex Is Mine! A Note on the Montana Supreme Court Decision Murray v. BEJ Miner . BEJ Minerals, LL als, LLC". Oil and Gas, Natural Resources, and Energy 7 (1): 22. https://digitalcommons.law.ou.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1313&context=onej.
23. ↑ Roddy, Bridget (May 2022). "Can You Dig It? Yes, You Can! But at What Cost?: A Proposal for Protection of Domestic Fossils on Private Land". Texas A&M Journal of Property Law 8 (4): 35. https://scholarship.law.tamu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1200&context=journal-of-property-law.
24. ↑ Keats, Jonathon. "Montana's Dueling Dinosaurs To Fetch Up To $9 Million At Bonhams Auction" (in en). https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathonkeats/2013/10/08/montanas-dueling-dinosaurs-to-fetch-up-to-9-million-at-bonhams-auction/.
25. ↑ "'Dueling Dinosaurs' fossil, hidden from science for 14 years, could finally reveal its secrets" (in en). National Geographic. 2020-11-17. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/11/dueling-dinosaurs-fossil-finally-set-to-reveal-secrets/.
26. ↑ "North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences to receive the "Dueling Dinosaurs"" (in en). North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. https://naturalsciences.org/calendar/news/north-carolina-museum-of-natural-sciences-to-receive-the-dueling-dinosaurs/.
27. ↑ Stein, Walter (March 2020). "TAKING COUNT: A Census of Dinosaur Fossils Recovered From the Hell Creek and Lance Formations (Maastrichtian)". The Journal of Paleontological Sciences 1 (1): 42. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339815047.
28. ↑ "'Dueling Dinosaurs' exhibit opens in Raleigh | The North State Journal" (in en-US). 2024-05-01. https://nsjonline.com/article/2024/05/dueling-dinosaurs-exhibit-opens-in-raleigh/.
29. ↑ "North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences to receive the "Dueling Dinosaurs"" (in en). North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. https://naturalsciences.org/calendar/news/north-carolina-museum-of-natural-sciences-to-receive-the-dueling-dinosaurs/.
30. ↑ "DUELING DINOSAURS". https://naturalsciences.org/exhibits/permanent-exhibits/dueling-dinosaurs.

## External links

* Official website

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