Open Paleo

Vulcanodon

Raath, 1972 vuhl-KAYN-o-don

Named after the volcano near which it was found in Zimbabwe, combined with Greek odon meaning 'tooth'; translates as 'volcano tooth'

199.5–184.2 million years ago Sinemurian–Pliensbachian, Early Jurassic
Early Jurassic stages

Vulcanodon is an extinct genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Early Jurassic uppermost Forest Sandstone of southern Africa. The only known species is V. karibaensis. Discovered in 1969 in Zimbabwe, it was regarded as the earliest known sauropod for decades, and is still one of the most primitive genera that has been discovered.

Diagnosis

  1. Sacrum of four fused vertebrae
  2. Pubis and ischium broadly articulated, the ischium longer than the pubis
  3. Pubes forming a prominent, anteriorly facing distal apron, lacking a distinct tubercle for m. ambiens
  4. Ischia forming the major part of the acetabulum
  5. Ilium with a very long pubic peduncle and a very short ischiadic peduncle
  6. Humerus weakly flared, about two-thirds the length of the femur
  7. Forelimb about 78% the length of the hindlimb
  8. Femur straight and columnar, lacking sigmoidal curvature
  9. Tibia short and robust with expanded ends, about 58% the length of the femur
  10. Astragalus with a prominent lateral peg and a height-to-length ratio of ~1.18
  11. Greatly enlarged hallux ungual

Species

Vulcanodon karibaensis Raath, 1972

Type species

Named for Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe, where the holotype was discovered on a small island.

Holotype
QG24 , Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe
Material
Partial postcranial skeleton lacking the skull and the cervical and dorsal vertebrae; includes a four-vertebra sacrum, anterior caudals, both humeri, the right radius and ulna, a partial pelvis, both hindlimbs, and a near-complete pes.
Horizon
upper Forest Sandstone Formation, Sinemurian–Pliensbachian, Early Jurassic , 199.5–184.2 million years ago
Locality
Island 126/127, Mashonaland West, Zimbabwe

References

  1. Raath, M. A. (1972). Fossil vertebrate studies in Rhodesia: a new dinosaur (Reptilia: Saurischia) from near the Tria-Jurassic boundary. Arnoldia 5(31): 1-37. raath1972a
  2. Cooper, M. R. (1984). A reassessment of Vulcanodon karibaensis Raath (Dinosauria: Saurischia) and the origin of the Sauropoda. Palaeontologia Africana 25: 203-231.

    Detailed reassessment that states the holotype came from the top of the Forest Sandstone; the diagnostic features derive from its Vulcanodontidae (family) diagnosis.

    cooper1984a
  3. Viglietti, P. A.; Barrett, P. M.; Broderick, T. J.; Munyikwa, D.; MacNiven, R.; Broderick, L.; Chapelle, K.; Glynn, D.; Edwards, S.; Zondo, M.; Broderick, P.; Choiniere, J. N. (2018). Stratigraphy of the Vulcanodon type locality and its implications for regional correlations within the Karoo Supergroup. Journal of African Earth Sciences 137: 149-156. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2017.10.015

    Places the holotype in the uppermost Forest Sandstone, below the Lower Basalt, finding Cooper (1984) gave no evidence for that position, and likely Sinemurian to Pliensbachian in age.

    viglietti2018a
  4. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Sauropods. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the hip height estimate.

    jones2026b