Valdosaurus

Valdosaurus was first thought to be a different dinosaur. Its bones were originally called Hypsilophodon, then Camptosaurus, and later Dryosaurus before getting its own name in 1977.2

The most complete Valdosaurus skeleton was found in 2012 at Compton Bay on the Isle of Wight. It includes a nearly complete tail, hips, and both back legs.2

A full-grown Valdosaurus was about as long as a small car (4 metres) and weighed as much as a large pig (400 kilograms).2

Valdosaurus lived in a warm, floodplain environment with rivers and lakes. The area had seasonal wildfires and occasional storms.2

Its name means 'Weald lizard', after the Weald area of southern England where its fossils were first found.1

Valdosaurus belongs to a group of plant-eaters called dryosaurids, which were fast, bipedal ornithopods.32