Glossary VAL - VUL
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VALDORAPTOR
(pronounced VAHL-doh-RAP-tor) Valdoraptor is a theropod dinosaur that
lived during the Cretaceous Period, about 120 million years ago. Fossils
of this bipedal meat-eater were found in England. Only some metatarsals
(bones from the upper part of the foot) have been found. This dinosaur
was very roughly 16 feet (5 m) long. Valdoraptor was named by Olshevsky
in 1991. The type species is V. oweni (named by Lydekker in 1889; this
dinosaur was originally called Megalosaurus).
VARANOPSEIDAE
The Varanopseidae were the earliest pelycosaurs, appearing during the
late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) period. This extinct order of early
synapsids were a dead-end in the mammalian lineage and include the small,
common insectivore Mesenosaurus (Late Permian period, 260 million years
ago). These carnivores were primarily terrestrial and were mostly under
5 ft (1.5 m) long. Varanopseid fossils have been found in North America.
The Varanopseidae were closely related to the family Ophiacodontidae (e.g.,
Varanosaurus). Classification: Order Pelycosauria: Suborder Eupelycosauria.
VARANOSAURUS
(pronounced vahr-AN-oh-SAWR-us) Varanosaurus was a mammal-like reptile
(not a dinosaur). This pelycosaur looked like a modern-day monitor lizard.
Varanosaurus grew to be about 5 ft (1.5 m) long. It was an amniote that
walked on four sprawling (five-toed) legs, had a long tail, a deep, narrow
skull, and a long jaw with many small, sharp, curved, flattened teeth.
It probably ate fish. This extinct, early synapsid was a dead-end in the
mammalian lineage, closely related to Ophiacodon, and also Dimetrodon
and Edaphosaurus. Varanosaurus lived during the early Permian period in
what is now Texas and Oklahoma, USA. Classification: Order Pelycosauria:
Suborder Eupelycosauria: Family Ophiacodontidae: Genus Varanosaurus.
VARIRAPTOR
(pronounced vahr-ee-RAP-tor) Variraptor is a newly-discovered theropod
dinosaur from France. This bipedal meat-eater lived during the late Cretaceous
Period. It was about 5-6 feet (1.5-1.8 m) long and weighed roughly 100
pounds (50 kg).
Vascular Plant
Vascular plants possess specialised supporting and water-conducting tissue
called xylem and food-conducting tissue called phloem. The xylem are stiffened
by woody material, allowing them to have true stems, leaves and roots.
VELOCIPES
(pronounced ve-LOSS-eh-pes) Velocipes (meaniing "speedy foot")
was a meat-eating dinosaur (a theropod) from the late Triassic Period,
roughly 228 - 223 million years ago. The type species is V. guerichi.
A partial leg bone was found in Germany. Velocipes was named by paleontologist
von Huene in 1932. This is doubtful genus due to insufficient fossil material.
Velociraptor
A lightly-built, fast-running theropod dinosaur about 2 metres long, with
grasping hands, a stiffened balancing tail and an formidable sickle-shaped
claw on the second toe of each foot. Like Utahraptor it was a dromaeosaur
that lived in the Cretaceous period.
Velvet Worm
These worm-like animals evolved over 300 million years ago and are characterised
by paired fleshy legs. Modern descendants exist today in Africa, Asia,
the Caribbean and South America but are found exclusively on land.
VENDIAN PERIOD
The Vendian or Ediacaran period was a geologic time period that lasted
from 650 to 544 million years ago. The Vendian is when the earliest-known
animals evolved. Vendian biota (Ediacara fauna), included soft-bodied
multi-cellular animals, like sponges and worms. During the Vendian, the
continents had merged into a single supercontinent called Rodinia. The
Vendian ended in a mass extinction.
VENENOSAURUS
Venenosaurus (meaning "poison lizard") was a plant-eating dinosaur
(a titanosaurid sauropod) from the early Cretaceous Period. Fossils of
this huge, long-necked, long-tailed dinosaur were found in the Cedar Mountain
Formation in Utah, USA. Venenosaurus was named by paleontologists Tidwell,
Carpenter, and Meyer in 2001; the type species is V. dicrocei.
Vertebrate
Animals which possess some form of cartilaginous or bony skeleton, including
fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. They account for less
than 10 percent of animals living today.
VICKERS-RICH, PATRICIA
Dr. Patricia Vickers-Rich is an Australian geoloogist, paleontologist
and author. Vickers-Rich has unEarthed many important finds in Victoria,
Australia, Alaska, USA, and Patagonia, South America. She co-named (with
her husband T. H. Rich) the dinosaurs Leaellynasaura (1989) and Timimus(1994)
(both named for his children), Atlascopcosaurus (1989), Qantassaurus (1999),
Tehuelchesaurus (1999, also with Gimenez, Candúneo, Puerta, and Vacca),
the important early Australian mammal Ausktribosphenos, and others.
VIERAELLA
Vieraella herbsti is the earliest-known true frog. It lived during the
Early Jurassic Period, about 188-213 million years ago. Vieraella was
about 1 inch (3 cm) long. It was very similar to modern-day frogs, including
its long, powerful hind legs, very short backbone, a fork-shaped hip girdle,
and latticework skull. Fossils of Vieraella have been found in Argentina,
South America. Order Anura.
VIVIPAROUS
Viviparous animals are born live and do not hatch from eggs. People are
viviparous.
VOLCANO
When a volcano erupts, it spews out lava and gases from deep inside the
Earth. The Cretaceous Period was a time of high volcanic activity.
VON HUENE, FRIEDRICH
Friedrich von Huene (1875-1969) was a German paleontologist who named:
Altispinax (1922), Avipes (1932), Antarctosaurus (1929), Betasuchus (1932),
Cetiosauriscus (1927), Coeluroides (1932), Compsosucus (1932), the family
Dicraeosauridae (1956), Dolichosuchus (1932), Dryptosauroides (1932),
Erectopus (1922), Fulgurotherium (1932), the family Halticosauridae (1956),
Halticosaurus (1908), Iliosuchus (1932), Indocuchus (1933), Jubbulpuria
(1932), Laevisuchus (1932), the family Lambeosauridae (1948), Laplatasaurus
(1927), Loricosaurus (1929), Magyarosaurus (1932), the family Melanorosauridae
(1929), Ornithomimoides (1932), the family Podokesauridae (1914), the
infraorder Prosauropoda (1920), Proceratosaurus (1926), the family Procompsognathidae
(1929), Rapator (1932), Saltopus (1910), the suborder Sauropodomorpha
(1932), Sellosaurus (1908), Thecocoelurus (1923), Velocipes (1932), and
Walgettosuchus (1932).
VON MEYER, HERMANN
Hermann von Meyer was a German paleontologist who named and described
Archaeopteryx; (1861), Rhamphorhynchus (1847), Plateosaurus (1837), and
Stenopelix (1857).
VULCANODON
(pronounced vul-KAN-uh-don) Vulcanodon (meaning "Vulcan, the Roman
god of fire, tooth" because fossilized teeth [probably not belonging
to Vulcanodon] were found in volcanic material) was a very early sauropod
dinosaur (a Vulcanodontid) about 20 feet (6.5 m) long. It lived during
the early Jurassic Period, roughly 208 to 201 million years ago. It was
a long-necked, long-tailed plant-eater with a small head, thick legs,
and a bulky body. It had nail-like claws on its feet and an enlarged claw
on each big toe. Its front legs were relatively long. A partial fossil
has been found in Mashonaland North, Zimbabwe, Africa. Vulcanodon was
named by Raath in 1972. The fossil footprints called Deuterosauropodopus
from Lesotho, South Africa may belong to Vulcanodon. The type species
is V. karibaensis.