Habitat: Europe
Status: Extinct
DAK Locale: Dinoland
The Iguanodon in the early Cretaceous Period, which was approximately 125 millions years ago. It was first discovered in England in 1822 by Gideon Mantell. It was the second dinosaur to receive a formal name by scientists. The first being the Megalasauros. Since then, numerous fossils have been uncovered with related species being found in North America and China, as well. As such, it is one of the best understood and studied dinosaurs. Even its footprints have been found repeatedly in Europe.
One excavation uncovered thirty fossils in Belgium. At first, it was felt this meant that the Iguanodon was a herding animal. However, it appears that this find did not represent one catastrophe. In any event, most do believe that they at least lived in small groups if not large herds.
The animal was a herbivore, or plant eater, and a big one. One fossil found was that of a animal over 30 feet tall. It likely weighed as much a three and a half tons. The dinosaur had a beak not unlike that of a turtle which allowed it to break off vegetation. It had a hinged upper jaw that allowed it to grind the upper jaw with the lower jaw. Hence, it was one of the first dinosaurs that could chew. Other dinosaurs and all reptiles cannot chew.
The most distinctive feature of the animal was the thumb, which stood straight out like a spike. It is not exactly known why the animal had an inflexible spike for a thumb. Most believe it was a defensive mechanism. Basically, the Iguanodon had a built in knife to fend off predators. Others believe it was also used to break into seeds and nuts. The rest of the hand was also unusual in that the middle three fingers were bound together with skin. The little finger was flexible allowing it to grasp food. It could rear up on two legs (perhaps to ward off predators or reach food) but likely most often walked on all fours.
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