Fun Vallibonavenatrix Facts For Kids

Vallibonavenatrix, the Extinct genus of the Early Cretaceous period, was closely related to the spinosaurid theropod species. It was first discovered by Juan Cano Forner, a fossil collector, in the '80s and '90s. Forner recovered the bones from places like Santa Agueda and Els Ports Natural Park in Spain. Not only the Vallibonavenatrix cani, but he was also responsible for discovering numerous other vertebrae remains, many of which belonged to dinosaurs. His collection included six dorsal vertebrae, some caudal vertebrae, a partial skeleton pubis' proximal part, a partially complete sacrum, partial ribs, and rib fragments. Forner then put his collection in a museum in Sant Mateu, which was acknowledged by many.

Although the Vallibonavenatrix theropod was discovered by fossil collector Forner, however, it was not named by him. Elisabete Malafaia along with other colleagues published a paper that mentioned a new genus in the spinosaurid diversity called the 'Vellabonavenatrix'. The name of this species was given in honor of Forner and the town where the Vallibonavenatrix fossils were collected from. According to the paper, the Vallibonavenatrix is the most complete spinosaurid theropod specimen that was found in the Iberian Peninsula. It was also considered to be closely related to the Asian genus Ichthyovenator.

How do you pronounce 'Vallibonavenatrix'?

The pronunciation of this name is 'Val-le-boh-nah-ven-ah-triks'.

What type of dinosaur was a Vallibonavenatrix?

The Vallibonavenatrix was a type of spinosaurid theropod whose remains date back to the Early Cretaceous period.

In which geological period did the Vallibonavenatrix roam the Earth?

This species belonged to the time period of the Barremian of the Early Cretaceous.

When did the Vallibonavenatrix become Extinct?

This species perhaps became extinct at the same time as spinosaurus.

Where did a Vallibonavenatrix live?

The Vallibonavenatrix skeleton and fossil remains were discovered from several local areas in Spain, like the Els Ports Natural Park located in the Province of Castellon and Santa Agueda in Vallibona. Thus, it is assumed the species belonged to that location.

What was a Vallibonavenatrix's habitat?

The species were mostly known for living on terrestrial plains.

Who did a Vallibonavenatrix live with?

There is not much known as to who they lived with. Their remains were found with remains of other dinosaurs which suggests that they may not belong to a particular pack.

How long did a Vallibonavenatrix live?

The exact timespan of this species is unknown, however, they lived through the Early Cretaceous period.

How did they reproduce?

 The method of their reproduction is not clear except for the fact that because they are reptiles, they reproduced via eggs.

What did a Vallibonavenatrix look like?

The Vallibonavenatrix cani is among the species that are shorter but longer. They have dorsal vertebrae that have upward projection neural spines and one spine is expanded from top to bottom in a fan-like shape very similar to the spinosaurid theropod. The complete sacrum has deep depressions and air-filled openings. The pelvis suggests that it had large chambers. Its limbs were comparatively shorter than other species.

How many bones did a Vallibonavenatrix have?

The exact number of bones of the Vallibonavenatrix cani is not known.

How did they communicate?

The methods of communication between the species are unknown.

How big was a Vallibonavenatrix?

The Vallibonavenatrix cani was not particularly tall and was 26-29.5 ft (8-9 m) long. The largest known spinosaurid species was about 49 ft (15 m) or longer and the smallest was about 24.6 ft (7.5 m) long, this making the Vallibonavenatrix just slightly longer than the smallest species. It is much smaller than a T-rex.

How fast could a Vallibonavenatrix move?

The limbs of this species are smaller than the rest of its body and thus it can be assumed that its movement was not very fast.

How much did a Vallibonavenatrix weigh?

The weight of the theropod is unknown.

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no separate male and female names of the theropod, however, its name comes from the term 'Vallibona', which is a town's name along with the suffix 'venatrix,' which in Latin means 'huntress'.

What would you call a baby Vallibonavenatrix?

Since this species is very old and not common; there is no specific name for a baby Vallibonavenatrix.

What did they eat?

The theropod usually fed on aquatic animals that lived during the period of their existence.

How aggressive were they?

They were carnivorous animals but their level of aggression is not known.

Did You Know...

The spinosaurus is the largest known carnivore dinosaur species. It is heavier than the Tyrannosaurus.

The Camarillasaurus is the smallest known spinosaurid species.

There are many species of spinosaurid diversity that can be larger than the Tyrannosaurus Rex, but Vallibonavenatrix is not larger than it.

The Vallibonavenatrix was discovered in the late '80s and early '90s. During the discovery, only a partial skeleton was recovered like partial ribs, rib fragments, some caudal vertebrae, and partial pubis' proximal part along with some other parts.

Up until now, only two species of spinosaurids have been given names.

Not all theropods are carnivores, some can be insectivores or herbivores as well.

*We've been unable to source an image of Vallibonavenatrix and have used an image of Baryonyx instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Vallibonavenatrix, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected].