Fun Valdosaurus Facts For Kids

The Valdosaurus (Valdosaurus canaliculatus) was a medium-sized dinosaur that inhabited the Isle of Wight in England several million years ago. Its fossils recovered in Europe suggests that they roamed the Earth about 130 million years ago during the early Cretaceous period. This species of dinosaurs were herbivorous in nature. These Valdosaurus dinosaurs were referred to as weald lizards and were related to the Ornithopod species. Their remains were first observed in western Europe and their skeletal pattern suggested the had a medium-sized body.

The Valdosaurus species was about 4 ft (122 cm) tall and weighed approximately 20-25 lb (9.07-11.3 kg). Their fossils imply that these dinosaurs used to locomote with the help of their two legs, which were three-toed and characterized by horny beaks. Further, their curved femur bones found on the Isle of Wight provide sufficient evidence of the medium-sized body of these dinosaurs. Paleontologists described them to be always on the run to escape from predators. This weald lizard is related to other species of dinosaurs whose remains were also excavated from the Weald region of England. Keep on reading to know more about this amazing dinosaur species that once roamed lands of Europe.

If you like reading this article, then get familiar with more awesome dinosaur species like the Altirhinus and the Agilisaurus here on Kidadl.

How do you pronounce Valdosaurus?

The dinosaur Valdosaurus is pronounced val-doe-sore-us.

What type of dinosaur was a Valdosaurus?

The Valdosaurus was a bipedal Ornithopod dinosaur of the Dryosauridae family.

In which geological period did the Valdosaurus roam the Earth?

The Valdosaurus, also known as the weald lizard species, roamed the Earth during the early Cretaceous period.

When did the Valdosaurus become extinct?

This Ornithopod species of dinosaurs became extinct approximately 140 million years ago.

Where did the Valdosaurus live?

Valdosaurus fossils were obtained from the Isle of Wight, located in England. Their remains were also found in some regions of Europe. In a later period, much of the fossil remains of the dinosaur of the Canaliculatus genus were excavated from Romania.

What was the Valdosaurus' habitat?

The Valdosaurus, also known as the weald lizard species, inhabited forests and dense vegetation areas. These dinosaurs were known to be herbivorous and therefore, they must have thrived in regions with plentiful vegetation.

Who did the Valdosaurus live with?

This species of dinosaurs lived solitarily and also in herds, in order to defend themselves from predators in the wild. During their mating seasons, they were known to have lived in pairs.

How long did a Valdosaurus live?

The Valdosaurus lived in the early Cretaceous period approximately 140 million years ago on the isle of Wight.

How did they reproduce?

Just like the Hypsilophodon, this species of dinosaur from the lower Cretaceous period of Europe reproduced by laying eggs. Their eggs were massive in size. Females were most likely responsible for the parental care. They also must have shown territorial behavior during their mating season. Not much data is available on their reproductive nature but we do know that their eggs were amniotic and thus, provided sufficient nutrients to the embryo inside. We are looking forward to unearthing more fascinating details on the Valdosaurus species.

What did the Valdosaurus look like?

This species of the Dryosauridae family, also known as a weald lizard, had a medium-sized body. In 1848, two small thighbones were first discovered on the Isle of Wight. Their body length was 11.5 ft (350 cm) with a height of about 4 ft (122 cm). They typically weighed about 20-25 lb (9.07-11.3 kg). The Valdosaurus skeleton unearthed from Romania suggested that they had low ileum with a broad Brevis shelf and a proximally situated obturator process of their hip bone or ischium. Their femur bones showed a deep groove, partially overhung on the lateral side. A set of 15 teeth was found in their small skull, which was broad. This teeth set was noted to be less leaf-shaped than those found in the Iguanodon but data regarding how strong they were is not known. Otherwise, teeth of this species were similar to that of teeth found in Dryosaurus fossils. Their leg bones were noted to have only three functional toes. Thumbs of this species of Dinosauria were large and spiky. Their body shape was almost like that of a kangaroo.

How many bones did a Valdosaurus have?

The history of the lower Cretaceous age included the Valdosaurus whose anatomy is little known due to the incomplete skeleton finding. However, 45 caudal vertebrae bones, a small skull, two short femurs, along with some foot bones of the lower Cretaceous dinosaur were found. Despite the lack of data on the total number of bones found, it is known that this species of Dinosauria is considered to be one of the most complete Ornithopod skeleton specimens known to be from England.

How did they communicate?

It is not known exactly how the weald lizard used to communicate with other species. We can assume that just like other dinosaur species, they were able to communicate both vocally and visually. This also included certain courtship displays as well as territorial aggression during their mating season.

How big was the Valdosaurus?

The length of this dinosaur species of the Isle of Wight was about 11.5 ft (350.5 cm) and it used to be about 4 ft (122 cm) in height. They were definitely bigger than the Hypsilophodon, which was only about 6 ft (182.88 cm) in length and about 2 ft (61 cm) tall.

How fast could a Valdosaurus move?

This species of dinosaur was not a fast runner, owing to their remains that had small femur bones with three toes. Their entire body weight fell on their short legs. As a result, this Dryosaurus species was unable to run fast. Otherwise, they were able to jump and walk in the forest.

How much did a Valdosaurus weigh?

The Dryosaurus species weighed about 20-25 lb (9.07-11.3 kg).

What were male and female names of the species?

There were no specific names given to male and female dinosaurs of this species.

What would you call a baby Valdosaurus?

Although no particular name is given to the dinosaur baby, we can call it a hatchling or a nestling, owing to the fact that the Dinosauria species laid eggs.

What did they eat?

This dinosaur of the Isle of Wight was herbivorous and therefore, fed on a variety of plants in dense vegetation areas, forests, and woodlands.

How aggressive were they?

We do not have enough data to determine if they had an aggressive nature. Just like other dinosaur species, they could have been territorial in nature. Otherwise, considering their herbivorous diet, we can assume that they were not aggressive at all.

Did you know...

In the year of 1975, the famous American paleontologist Peter M. Galton grouped the Valdosaurus as a completely separate species of Dryosaurus, belonging to the Dryosaurdae family. Galton renamed them as Dryosaurus canaliculatus, a Latin verbatim, which means 'with a small channel'. This particularly referred to the groove present in between the condyles of their femur. Again, in the year 1977, Galton created the new genus, Valdosaurus, and grouped this species of dinosaurs into it. The Voldosaurus genus comprises all the Wealden species of dinosaurs, which existed many million years ago in the Jurassic period.

Why are they called the Valdosaurus?

The name Valdosaurus consists of the Latin term Valdus, which means Wealden, thereby referring to the Wealden species, whose fossils were found mainly from the Isle of Wight of southern England.

Who discovered the Valdosaurus?

William Darwin Fox discovered two thigh bones of the Valdosaurus in the nineteenth century from the Isle of Wight in England.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures by reading our Hypsilophodont facts and our Othnielosaurus facts.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable stomping dinosaur coloring pages.