Fun Velafrons Facts For Kids

The Velafrons is a genus of dinosaurs (Hadrosaurs) that thrived in the late Campanian age in the Cerro del Pueblo Formation. The Velafrons coahuilensis meaning is 'front sailing from Coahuila'.

The name is given by several scientists, including Lindsay E. Zanno, Scott D. Sampson, Terry A. Gates, ‬David Eberth,‭ ‬Scott D.‭ ‬Sampson,‭ ‬Martha C.‭ ‬Aguillón Martínez, Rene Hernandez-Rivera, and James I Kirkland. The classification of the species is as follows: Chordata (Phylum), Reptilia (Class), Dinosauria (Superorder), Ornithischia (Order), Ornithopoda (Clade), Hadrosauridae (Family), Lambeosaurinae (Subfamily).

The fossil of V. coahuilenis with an entire skull and partial skeleton has been found in Mexico. Gates said that this is the most perfect lambeosaurine hadrosaurid dinosaur ever discovered in Mexico. He said that in previous journeys, scientists also discovered several other dinosaurs.

Fossils of the lambeosaurine Velafrons were found in the dry area near Saltillo, Coahuila, in north-central Mexico. Scientists also assumed that these animals likely thrived similarly to the other hadrosaurs in the world. These hadrosaurs were massive herbivores.

If you wish to learn more about different dinosaur species, you can also check out the brontosaurus and the Orodromeus.

Velafrons Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce Velafrons?

Velafrons is pronounced as 'Vel-ah-fronz.'

What type of dinosaur were Velafrons?

The Velafrons coahuilensi is a lambeosaurine hadrosaurid genus of a dinosaur that lived in the Late Cretaceous period of Mexico. The V.coahuilensis species classification is as follows: Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria, Ornithischia, Ornithopoda, Hadrosauridae, Lambeosaurinae.

In which geological period did the Velafrons roam the earth?

The Velafrons lived in the Late Cretaceous period of Mexico or the late Campanian-age in the Cerro del Pueblo Formation.

When did the Velafrons become extinct?

The Velafrons genus of dinosaurs became extinct about 72 million years ago.

Where did the Velafrons live?

Velafrons are recognized from an entire skull and partial skeleton of a juvenile dinosaur, with a bony crest present on the forehead. Fossils of this lambeosaurine dinosaur have been found in the Late Campanian age in the Cerro del Pueblo Formation, which means around 72 million years ago.

These fossils of the juvenile were found near Rincon Colorado, Coahuila, Mexico, North America. The type of specimen of the juvenile is CPC-59 and the type species is Velafrons coahuilensis.

Paleontologist Terry Gates of the Utah Museum of Natural History and the University of Utah said it is the most intact lambeosaurine dinosaur skeleton ever found in Coahuila, Mexico. He also said researchers and scientists in recent excursions also discovered a number of other dinosaurs species.

Remains of the V. coashuilensis were found in rough, barren terrain in north Mexico, Coahuila, near the town of Saltillo.

Utah Museum of Natural History paleontologist Scott Sampson said the discovery is providing an open window into the world in the Late Cretaceous period. The North American continent at this period was divided into two regions by a large inland sea that stretched from the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.

What was a Velafrons' habitat?

The temporal fossil range of the Velafrons was the Late Cretaceous period. Terry Gates explained the arid, desert region where the juvenile Velafrons coahuilensis skeleton was discovered as nothing like Mexico during the Late Cretaceous period.

Nearly 72 million years ago, this area was a humid delta around the south of western America, where marine saltwater combined with fresh water from rivers. Many dinosaur bones and skeletons are identified with fossilized marine clams and snails, illustrating that these creatures inhabited environments near the coast.

Additionally, researchers recovered massive bonebeds of jumbled duckbill dinosaurs and horned bone dinosaurs.

These locations seem to show mass death events, possibly due to powerful storms like those that occur around the southern tip of Africa and America now. Scott Sampson said that the area was systematically hit by monstrous storms and devastating distances of fertile offshore lines, presumably killing off complete herds of dinosaurs.

Terry Gates said the Velafrons was likely a beach bum. Its coastline home was rich with rivers running into a shallow sea.

Who did a Velafrons live with?

Whether Velafrons dinosaurs used to live alone, in pairs, or in groups, is unclear.

How long did the Velafrons live?

The total lifespan of the V. coahuilensis is unknown.

How did they reproduce?

There is no detailed information available regarding the reproduction process in the V. coahuilensis. However, it has been discovered that they were egg-laying dinosaurs.

Velafrons Fun Facts

What did the Velafrons look like?

Velafrons resembled juvenile specimens of the Corythosaurus and the Hypacrosaurus. It came out to be a corythosaurin in the DNA analysis done by Gates and his colleagues.

The Velafrons skull was big as compared to skulls from other genera at the same development stage. Therefore, the crest probably was small in adult dinosaurs or followed a unique growth pattern.

It might be that adult dinosaurs were also massive compared to adult dinosaurs of other Lambeosaurine genera. Surprisingly, massive size is also seen in the hadrosaurids Kritosaurus species and the Magnapaulia laticaudus of Mexico.

The unique features of the V. coahuilensis are the hollow crest and the duckbill.

The average length of this creature was estimated to be about 25 ft (7.6 m) but it could reach up to a length of nearly 32.8 ft (10 m) when fully grown. It also had a remarkably sized head.

The hollow crest on the upper part of the skull was shaped like the sail of a sailboat. It is how the Velafrons coahuilensis got its name, which means 'sailed forehead from Coahuila.'

It is named by various scientists, including Lindsay E. Zanno, Scott D. Sampson, Terry A. Gates, ‬David Eberth,‭ ‬Scott D.‭ ‬Sampson,‭ ‬Martha C.‭ ‬Aguillón Martínez, Rene Hernandez-Rivera, and James I Kirkland.

Velafrons were dinosaurs with a duckbill and nose bones at the upper tip of the head, with their nasal tunnels considerably elongated and running through massive crests. Gates said lengthening of nasal passages allowed it smell various types of crazy things. It was entirely odd and freakish.

Researchers and scientists do not know about the function of the crest. They believed that it probably assisted in attracting mates. There could be unique noises produced through crest passages while blowing air.

The Hadrosaurus was very well-known at the time. Sampson said that the Velafrons was very similar to another hadrosaur type called Corythosaurus, which lived in Alberta, Canada.

It was popular for the bony crest on the head that looked like the helmet of an ancient Greek warrior.

The Velafrons fossil was discovered in 1995, but it was not until 2002 that researchers used jackhammers to penetrate the hard rock and managed to rescue the skull from the ground.

Sampson said fossils of horned dinosaurs related to Triceratops were also exposed, which also showed that large carnivores related to Tyrannosaurus roamed at the time. Many dinosaur bones were covered with specimens of snails and clam fossils, indicating that these creatures existed around the coast.

How many bones did Velafrons have?

The exact number of bones in the Velafrons is unknown. However, an entire skull with various bones has been discovered in a temporal fossil range in western America.

How did they communicate?

No information is available regarding communication among Velafrons genera.

How big was a Velafrons?

The length range of the Velafrons is 25-32 ft (7.62-9.75 m), which is about 15 times larger than the African elephant.

How fast could a Velafrons move?

Velafrons had a moderate moving speed even though they were big in size.

How much did the Velafrons weigh?

The Velafrons weighed around 4,409.2 lb (2,000 kg). It is also believed that they weighed similar to the Sumatran elephant, as their fossils show that they were big in size.

What were the male and female names of the species?

No specific names are given to male and female Velafrons.

What would you call a baby Velafrons?

The baby Velafrons dinosaur is generally called young or juvenile.

What did they eat?

The hadrosaurid Velafrons was a herbivore animal who used to feed on plant materials.

How aggressive were they?

No information has been published about the aggressive behavior of the V. coahuilensis.

Did you know...

V. coahuilensis are believed to have laid eggs like other reptiles such as the snappy crocodile, the python, and so on.

Why is it called a Velafrons?

Rosario Gómez, director of the Paleontology Project in Coahuila, Mexico, said Velafrons are a mixture of Latin and Spanish, referring to the huge crest on the head. According to Gómez, the second part of the name commemorates the state of Coahuila in northern Mexico, where the individual was discovered.

Therefore, the entire meaning of Velafrons coahuilensis is 'front sailing from Coahuila'. Scientists and researchers that give a name to the specimen include Lindsay E. Zanno, Scott D. Sampson, Terry A.

Gates, ‬David Eberth,‭ ‬Scott D.‭ ‬Sampson,‭ ‬Martha C.‭ ‬Aguillón Martínez, Rene Hernandez-Rivera, and James I Kirkland. The classification of the species is Dinosauria (Superorder), Ornithischians (Order), Ornithopods, Hadrosaurus (Family), and Lambosaurus (Subfamily).

What kind of terrain did the Velafrons live in?

Gates said that the V. coahuilensis is the most perfect dinosaur ever discovered in Mexico. He said that in a recent excursion, scientists also discovered several other dinosaurs. Fossil remains of Velafrons were found in the rough and dry terrain around Saltillo, Coahuila.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other dinosaurs from our Puertasaurus facts and Crichtonsaurus facts pages.

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