Pops the triceratops was excavated in Weld County in February 1982.
For nearly 40 years, the Weld County Triceratops – affectionately known as “Pops” — has been stuck in an awkward spot for a fossil of its stature. A dinosaur for the people, Pops has been a very public figure, on display behind glass in various county buildings. Yet the most complete horned dinosaur skull ever found in Colorado had never been thoroughly examined by paleontologists — it was essentially lost to science.
Thanks to a new agreement between Weld County leadership and researchers at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, that has now changed.