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Velocipes

Name means: “quick foot”1

Ate: MeatOther meat-eatersLate Triassic

Velocipes was a meat-eating dinosaur that lived during the Late Triassic period, about 227 to 205 million years ago. It was a fast runner with long legs, and it hunted smaller animals in what is now Poland.1 2

Lived

227 to 206 million years ago2

Late Triassic

Fossils found in

Kocury, southern Poland1 2

Food

Meat2

Length

up to 3 m1

estimate based on the size of the fibula

Weight

up to 50 kg1

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

as long as 1.5 bicycles in a rowas long as 17 bananas end to endas heavy as 12 house catsas heavy as 10 watermelons

How big was Velocipes compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Velocipes is known from only one fossil: the top part of a leg bone called a fibula, which is 16.4 cm long.1

The bone was first discovered around 1884 by Georg Gürich, but it was not named until 1932 by Friedrich von Huene.1

The original fossil was damaged during World War II and was thought to be lost, but it was rediscovered in 2012.1

Scientists once thought Velocipes might not be a dinosaur at all, but newer studies confirm it was a theropod, a group of meat-eating dinosaurs.1

Velocipes lived alongside other Triassic animals like the aetosaur Kocurypelta and an early turtle called Proterochersis.1

The full fibula of Velocipes was probably about 30 to 35 cm long, which helps scientists guess its size.1

AI-made picture of Velocipes — An AI-made picture of how Velocipes might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Velocipes

?How big was Velocipes?

Velocipes may have reached up to 3 metres long and weighed around 50 kilograms, but this is only a guess because only one leg bone is known.1

?What did Velocipes eat?

Velocipes was a meat-eating dinosaur, so it likely hunted smaller animals. Its name means 'quick foot', and it was probably a fast runner.1

?When did Velocipes live?

Velocipes lived during the Late Triassic period, about 227 to 205 million years ago, in what is now southern Poland.1

?Is Velocipes a dinosaur?

Yes, Velocipes is a dinosaur. Scientists once thought it might not be, but newer studies confirm it was a theropod, a group of meat-eating dinosaurs.1

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Myth buster

Myth: Velocipes is a nomen dubium (doubtful name) and not a real dinosaur.

Truth: Some scientists once considered Velocipes a doubtful name because the fossil is so incomplete, but more recent research in 2017 confirmed it is a valid theropod dinosaur.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Velocipes
Named by: Huene 19322
Group: Other meat-eaters
Family / clade: Neotheropoda2
Classification: Theropoda2
Age of the rocks: 227 to 206 million years (Norian)2
Rock formations: Lissauer Breccia2
Countries: Poland2
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database2
Discovery: The first fossil of Velocipes was found by Georg Gürich around 1884 in Kocury, Poland. It was named Velocipes guerichi by Friedrich von Huene in 1932.1
Still debated: Scientists are still unsure exactly how big Velocipes grew, because only one leg bone has been found.1

Where the facts come from

Velocipes (en.wikipedia.org)
Velocipes 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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