Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
Superorder: Dinosauria
Order: Ornithischia
Suborder: Cerapoda
Infraorder: Ornithopoda
Family: Iguanodontidae
Genus: Iguanodon

Iguanodon was one of the very first dinosaurs to be named and classified nearly two centuries ago, and holds a special place in history. Even from the earliest, inaccurate depictions of the species, it has enthralled the imagination of researchers and laypeople alike. This specimen sparked the age of paleontological science and discovery that continues to this day, and firmly established the 'dinosaur' into the public eye.

Iguanodon was a large ornithopod that lived from the late Jurassic to late Cretaceous (155 to 95 million years ago). As the name implies, its teeth resemble those of the modern iguana, only several times larger. Although different from the large dental batteries in later ornithopods, these teeth were still capable of processing the vast amount of plant material Iguanodon consumed.

It could reach a length of up to 12m, and like other ornithopods, it could switch between bipedal and quadrapedal locomtion. In addition, its hand was unique in several ways. Most notable is the large thumb spike. The purpose of this modification is unclear, as it could have been used for defence, intraspecies competition, or merely the penetration of tough plant material. The little finger on each hand was extremely flexible compared to the three middle fingers, and may have given Iguanodon some limited ability to manipulate objects.

Type Species: Iguanodon bernissartensis

Mantell, GA. (1825). Notice on the Iguanodon, a newly discovered fossil reptile, from the sandstone of Tilgate Forest, in Sussex. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Vol. 115, pp. 179-186.

Locality:

Tilgate Forest, Sussex, England.

Scientific Resources:

Naish, D; and Martill, DM. (2001). "Ornithopod dinosaurs", Dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight. London: The Palaeontological Association. pp. 60-132.

Embery, G; Milner, A; Waddington, RJ; Hall, RC; Langley, MS; and Milan, AM. (2000). The Isolation and Detection of Non-Collagenous Proteins from the Compact Bone of the Dinosaur Iguanodon. Connective Tissue Research, Vol. 41, Issue 3, pp. 249-259.

Norman, DB. (1986). On the anatomy of Iguanodon atherfieldensis (Ornithischia: Ornithopoda). Bulletin - Institut royal des sciences naturelles de Belgique. Sciences de la terre, Vol. 56, pp. 281-372.

Galton, PM; and Jensen, JA. (1975). Hypsilophodon and Iguanodon from the Lower Cretaceous of North America. Nature, Vol. 257, pp. 668-669.

Hooley, F.G.S., RW. (1925). On the Skeleton of Iguanodon atherfieldensis sp. nov., from the Wealden Shales of Atherfield (Isle of Wight). Journal of the Geological Society 1925, Vol 81, Issue 1-4, pp. 1-61.