Iguanodon
Sign in to saveIguanodon ( ; meaning 'iguana-tooth'), named in 1825, is a genus of iguanodontian dinosaur. While many species found worldwide have been classified in the genus Iguanodon, dating from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, taxonomic revision in the early 21st century has defined Iguanodon to be based on at least one well-substantiated species: Iguanodon bernissartensis, which lived during the Barremian to early Aptian ages of the Early Cretaceous in Belgium, Germany, England, and Spain, between about 126 and 122 million years ago. Iguanodon was a large, bulky herbivore, measuring up to in
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Iguanodon is a large herbivorous dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous period (approximately 126 to 122 million years ago) whose name means "iguana-tooth" and was first named in 1825. It is scientifically important because it was one of the first dinosaurs to be formally recognized and named, helping establish our early understanding of prehistoric reptiles.
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Article
21 sectionsContents
- Discovery and history
- Gideon Mantell, Sir Richard Owen, and the discovery of dinosaurs
- Bernissart mine discoveries and Dollo's new reconstruction
- Turn of the century and the Dinosaur Renaissance
- 21st century research and the splitting of the genus
- Description
- Classification and evolution
- Species
- Species currently accepted as valid
- Reassigned species of ''Iguanodon''
- Species reassigned to ''Iguanodon''
- Dubious species
- Palaeobiology
- Feeding
- Posture and movement
- Thumb spike
- Possible social behaviour
- Paleopathology
- In popular culture
- Notes
- External links
Iguanodon ( ; meaning 'iguana-tooth'), named in 1825, is a genus of iguanodontian dinosaur. While many species found worldwide have been classified in the genus Iguanodon, dating from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, taxonomic revision in the early 21st century has defined Iguanodon to be based on at least one well-substantiated species: Iguanodon bernissartensis, which lived during the Barremian to early Aptian ages of the Early Cretaceous in Belgium, Germany, England, and Spain, between about 126 and 122 million years ago. Iguanodon was a large, bulky herbivore, measuring up to in length and in body mass. Distinctive features include large thumb spikes, which were possibly used for defense against predators, combined with long prehensile fifth fingers able to forage for food.
The genus was named in 1825 by English geologist Gideon Mantell, based on fossil specimens found in England, and was given the species name I. anglicus. Iguanodon was the second type of dinosaur formally named based on fossil specimens, after Megalosaurus. Together with Megalosaurus and Hylaeosaurus, it was one of the three genera originally used to define Dinosauria. The genus Iguanodon belongs to the larger group Iguanodontia, along with the duck-billed hadrosaurs. The taxonomy of this genus continues to be a topic of study as new species are named or long-standing ones reassigned to other genera.