Velocisaurus
Name:
Velocisaurus
(swift lizard).
Phonetic: Ve-los-e-sore-us.
Named By: Jos� Bonaparte - 1991.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria,
Saurischia, Theropoda, Abelisauria, Noasauridae.
Species: V. unicus (type).
Diet: Carnivore/Ominvore?
Size: Tibia 14 centimetres long. Total length
roughly estimated about 1.2 to 1.5 meters
long.
Known locations: Argentina, Patagonia - Bajo
de la Carpa Formation.
Time period: Santonian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Holotype partial leg and
foot, additional limb remains now attributed to the genus.
Though
only named from a leg and foot, Velocisaurus
seems to have been a
particularly fast running dinosaur given that the leg shows clear
adaptations for running, hence the name which means ‘swift
lizard’. When the dinosaur Velocisaurus was
first described by Jos�
Bonaparte in 1991 he speculated that Velocisaurus
might have been
omnivorous given that the only claw found was straight, and not
shaped like that seen in a meat eating theropod dinosaur. This might
indicate that Velocisaurus was not running after
other dinosaurs to
eat, however without a skull and ideally confirmed stomach contents,
the exact diet of Velocisaurus can only be guessed
at. Velocisaurus
is currently considered to be a noasaurid dinosaur, and a
particularly close relative of Masiakasaurus
from Madagascar.
Velocisaurus
should not be confused with Velociraptor,
a small but famous genus of
dromaeosaur
that lived on the other side of the world.
Further reading
- Los vertebrados f�siles de la Formaci�n Rio Colorado, de la
Ciudad de Neuqu�n y Cercan�as, Cret�cico Superior, Argentina.
[The fossil vertebrates of the Rio Colorado Formation, of the city
of Neuqu�n and surroundings, Upper Cretaceous, Argentina]. -
Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino
Rivadavia" e Instituto Nacional de Investigaci�n de las Ciencias
Naturales. Paleontolog�a 4: 17-123. - Jos� Bonaparte -
1991.
- A new specimen of Velocisaurus unicus (Theropoda, Abelisauroidea)
from the Paso C�rdoba locality (Santonian), R�o Negro, Argentina. -
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 36 (4): e1119156. - F. B. Egli, F.
L. Agnol�n & Fernando Novas - 2016.
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