Iguanodon

Gideon Mantell (1790-1852) was a natural historian and British Physician. Like many different medical men of his time, Mantell was deeply interested in geology and natural history. He is credited with the discovery of remains of a large, fossil reptile resembling in some ways the modern Iguana, which he named Iguanodon. Mantell’s Iguanodon teeth suggested that it was herbivorous. All of the largest modern reptiles such as crocodiles, anacondas, komzo lizards, etc are carnivorous, but Mantell’s Iguanodon was the first known large reptile that ate plants, and for this reason, it is caused quite a stir in scientific circles. 

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Mantell Iguanodon Discovery

Iguanodon was named in England by a geologist named Gideon Mantell. Well, there is a debatable story that Mantell’s wife, Mary Anne Mantell, was actually the first to discover the teeth of the Iguanodon dinosaur. She went on a trip along with her husband in 1823, and she had found some tooth-shaped fossils on the side of the road. 

He got so excited because of his wife’s discovery, that he collected a team to dig the Tilgate Forest, where the original teeth had been found. This excavation set off a complete discovery of Iguanodon fossils.

Many scientists didn't believe the story as sadly, science was influenced by men who didn't think a woman could make such an important discovery. However, later research proves that Mary Anne Mantell did in reality, and infant fact helps her husband in drawing the findings. Today, Gideon Mantell’s wife, Mary Anne Mantell, is credited as the first to discover Iguanodon teeth.

How Iguanodon Was Named?

Iguanodon was actually named because of its similarity with iguana teeth. In fact, the Iguanodon name was derived from the Greek language, meaning “iguana tooth.” Its teeth were not as sharp as other dinosaurs. Iguanodon teeth were much more suitable for eating plants, which was quite favourable, as they were herbivores. The Iguanodon trumped up for its sharp teeth, with its sharp thumb spike. 

Iguanodon baby dinosaurs lived about 135 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous Period and were part of a group of dinosaurs known as ornithischian, which means the hip structure of Iguanodon is similar to birds. The dinosaur also had a beak, which probably helped to feed the food. Iguanodon walked on either two or four legs, depending on their activities. This option was quite favourable if they were trying to run from a predator. An adult Iguanodon weighed about 3 - 4 tons and was 30-40 feet in length.

Iguanodon Description

The first dinosaur to be named is Iguanodon. The name Iguanodon is pronounced as ('Ig-wan-oh-don') and is derived from ‘Iguana', a kind of modern reptile and ‘don’ meaning tooth. The name Iguanodon is a name of the smaller group of dinosaurs with much larger groups known as Iguanodontids. Iguanodon has become quite popular due to its starring role in the Dinosaur movie but before that, it enables people to understand what dinosaurs actually look like. Iguanodon was the first complete skeleton that was ever found. 

When and Where Iguanodon Found?

The large Iguanodon dinosaur was found as fossils during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous period (161.2 million to 99.6 million years ago). Remains of this species of dinosaur have been found in Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia, and North America.

Iguanodon Physical Features

The Iguanodon baby dinosaur was a fussy plant-eater, with leg bones raised to support its bulk. Its hands had three strong middle fingers, and its wrist bones were joined together to provide extra support. Its unique thumb spike was stirred up to the side, which would have been useful for stabbing predators or cutting plants. The fifth finger of Iguanodon was small. This helped Iguanodon to more easily eat food which his other fingers could not grasp alone. This dinosaur ran on two legs. On the Iguanodon's hind legs, it had three short, thick toes that were probably padded. The footpads helped animals to spread their weight so they could walk comfortably.

The length of the Iguanodon reached about 30 - 40 feet and height stood up to 35 feet. It weighs between 4 and 5 tons. The most attractive feature found in the Iguanodon was its front feet with five fingers. Its feet were something like hands and its back legs were long and sturdy. The teeth of Iguanodon were grooved inside its large cheek pouches. The front teeth of the Iguanodon were replaced by its bony beak at the end of its snout. 

Iguanodon Characteristics

Iguanodon is a very brave, cruel and a large herbivorous dinosaur with a slightly horse-like head, muscular forelimbs, and wide body. The default pigment of these dinosaurs is dull green with pale stripes down the back, specifically on the tail. The throat, cheeks, and underbelly are also pale. In contrast with the later hadrosaurs, Iguanodon’s very large thumb spikes were used for fighting. Iguanodon runs and largely walks on all four limbs, but will hold up and stand partially upright like a bear to look more discouraging in a fight.

Iguanodon Behavior

The accurate Iguanodon is a relatively good-humoured animal. While it can endure great numbers of animals, sharing its paddock, it is perfectly satisfied living by itself with minimum requirements for forests and grasslands.

It is peculiar among the non-armoured and non- certaposin dinosaurs, in a way that it can fight back against some carnivorous. When encountered by medium-sized carnivores such as Carnotaurus and Allosaurus, it will stand its ground and fight back by striking with its forelimbs and piercing with its thumb spikes. If conquered against a large aggressor, the Iguanodon will dispatch it by stabbing and penetrating in the gut and throat with both spikes in a "bear hug".

On the other hand, smaller predators such as Velociraptor and Dilophosaurus are killed during their shout at a pounce through a distinctly bone-cracking kick to their chest. However, it will still run from and can be chased by the Indoraptor and large carnivores such as Tyrannosaurus. 

Iguanodon Teeth and Chewing Habits

The accurate Iguanodon used it's hard beak to chew the food, which further moved back into its mouth with its powerful tongue. Here, rows of dense teeth would have been used to chew the solid vegetation. Dinosaur jaws can only move up and down, which implies that most dinosaurs simply chew their food and gulp it down.

Iguanodons and similar dinosaurs may have enjoyed the benefit of being able to chew their food. This can be done as they had a flexible top jaw, which bows outwards as the lower jaw pressed into it. This enables the edibles to be ground up in between the top and bottom rows of teeth.

Iguanodon Interesting Facts

• Iguanodon was the first-ever large, herbivorous dinosaur that was discovered during the early Cretaceous period.

• The weight of the Iguanodon is around 3 tonnes and was around 10 meters (33 ft.) in length.

• The dinosaur Iguanodon was discovered by Dr. Gideon Mantell.

• Mantell first thought that the Iguanodon tooth emerged from a large crocodile-type animal, and he also thought that Iguanodon had a spiked nose.

• The term Iguanodon means ‘Iguana tooth’.

• An important discovery of Iguanodon specimens was made in a coal mine in Bernissart, Belgium.

• The Iguanodon tooth was discovered by Mantell in a quarry, in Sussex, England. Around 38 specimens were found here.

• Palaeontologists Louis Dollo, who studied the Belgian fossils, observed that the dinosaur Iguanodon had a thumb spike, instead of a nose spike.

• The dinosaur Iguanodon was showcased in Disney's 2000 CGI film Dinosaur.