Velafrons
Velafrons was a duck-billed dinosaur that lived in Mexico about 73 million years ago. It had a bony crest on its forehead like a little sail. The only skeleton we have is from a youngster, so grown-ups might have been much bigger!1
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Fun facts
Velafrons is the first new lambeosaurine dinosaur from North America to be named in over 70 years.1
The only known skeleton is from a juvenile, and it is about 60% the size of a full-grown Corythosaurus. So adult Velafrons may have been much larger than the 7.5-metre specimen we found.1
Its skull is big compared to other duck-billed dinosaurs of the same age. This might mean adult Velafrons were also larger than their relatives.1
Velafrons lived in a warm, coastal environment near an ancient sea, in what is now the desert of Coahuila.1
The fossils were found in a grey mudstone that formed from mud at the bottom of an estuary or bay.2
Most asked questions about Velafrons
?How big was Velafrons?
Velafrons was a medium-sized hadrosaur, measuring about 7.5 metres (25 ft) long and weighing around 2.5 metric tons (2.8 short tons). Since the only known skeleton is from a juvenile, adults might have been much bigger.1
?What did Velafrons eat?
Velafrons was a herbivore, meaning it ate plants. As a hadrosaurid, it would have eaten vegetation.13
?Why did Velafrons have a crest?
Velafrons had a bony crest on its forehead, which is why its name means 'sailed forehead'. Scientists think the crest might have been used for display, but they are not sure exactly what for.1
?When did Velafrons live?
Velafrons lived about 73.5 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period. Its fossils were found in the Cerro del Pueblo Formation in Mexico.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Velafrons
- Named by
- Gates et al. 20073
- Group
- Duck-bills
- Family / clade
- Hadrosauridae3
- Classification
- Ornithischia > Ornithopoda > Iguanodontia > Hadrosauridae3
- Age of the rocks
- 84 to 72 million years (Campanian)3
- Rock formations
- Cerro del Pueblo3
- Countries
- Mexico3
- Fossil records
- 2 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- The first Velafrons skeleton was found in 2002 during an excavation by the Utah Museum of Natural History, Royal Tyrrell Museum and Museo del Desierto. It was named by Terry Gates and colleagues in 2007.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure how big adult Velafrons grew, because only a youngster has been found. The crest on its forehead might have grown bigger or changed shape as it aged.1
Where the facts come from
- Velafrons (en.wikipedia.org)
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- Velafrons in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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