Velafrons

Name: Velafrons ‭(‬Sailed forehead‭)‬.
Phonetic: Vel-ah-fronz.
Named By: Terry A.‭ ‬Gates,‭ ‬Scott D.‭ ‬Sampson,‭ ‬Carlos R.‭ ‬Delgado de Jes�s,‭ ‬Lindsay E.‭ ‬Zanno,‭ ‬David Eberth,‭ ‬Rene Hernandez-Rivera,‭ ‬Martha C.‭ ‬Aguill�n Mart�nez‭ & ‬James I Kirkland‭ ‬-‭ ‬2007.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Ornithopoda,‭ ‬Hadrosauridae,‭ ‬Lambeosaurinae.
Species: V.‭ ‬coahuilensis‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Estimated around‭ ‬7.6‭ ‬meters long for the holotype,‭ ‬adults may have approached around‭ ‬10‭ ‬meters long when fully grown.
Known locations: Mexico‭ ‬-‭ ‬Cerro del Pueblo Formation.
Time period: Campanian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Skull and partial skeleton of a juvenile.




       The description of Velafrons is based upon the remains of a juvenile individual.‭ ‬This has allowed for an increased insight into how hadrosaurs developed as they grew up,‭ ‬though the case of Velafrons is a little different.‭ ‬Most hadrosaurs known from juvenile individuals show a proportionately large skull in relation to the body size in younger juveniles,‭ ‬steadily getting smaller as the animal ages and grows into its adult body.‭ ‬This is also seen in Velafrons,‭ ‬but the skull is still quite large for its stage of development.‭ ‬Additionally the crest is present but small when compared to other genera.‭ ‬What this means is that Velafrons may have grown at a different rate to other lambeosaurine hadrosaurids.‭ ‬Also,‭ ‬the crest of Velafrons may have been smaller than the crests of other genera,‭ ‬though it should be remembered that since the holotype is of a juvenile,‭ ‬the crest in adults was likely to be larger and/or slightly different in form.
       With an adult size estimated to be around the ten meter long mark,‭ ‬Velafrons was probably around the upper average size for North American hadrosaurs during the Campanian stage of the late Cretaceous.‭ ‬However even though this was quite big,‭ ‬some like Magnapaulia grew quite a bit larger than this.‭ ‬Velafrons is classed as a lambeosaurine hadrosaurid because the crest on its skull is hollow.‭ ‬Out of all the lambeosaurines,‭ ‬Corythosaurus and Hypacrosaurus are considered to be particularly close relatives.


Further reading
-‭ ‬Velafrons coahuilensis,‭ ‬a new lambeosaurine hadrosaurid‭ (‬Dinosauria:‭ ‬Ornithopoda‭) ‬from the Late Campanian Cerro del Pueblo Formation,‭ ‬Coahuila,‭ ‬Mexico,‭ ‬Terry A.‭ ‬Gates,‭ ‬Scott D.‭ ‬Sampson,‭ ‬Carlos R.‭ ‬Delgado de Jesus,‭ ‬Lindsay E.‭ ‬Zanno,‭ ‬David Eberth,‭ ‬Rene Hernandez-Rivera,‭ ‬Martha C.‭ ‬Aguillon Mart�nez‭ & ‬James I.‭ ‬Kirkland‭ ‬-‭ ‬2007.







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