Iguanodon

Iguanodons were a genus of dinosaurs that belong to a taxonomic group known as Ornithopods. The name ornithopoda means bird footed. All ornithopods walk on two legs (bipedal) and are plant eaters (herbivores). The name Iguanodontidae means iguana teeth. They are also characterized as having horny beaks.

Iguanodons were about 30-foot-long and weighed 4 to 5 tons. They had a flat, stiff tail and its legs were much larger than its arms. Iguanodons had three-toed hind feet with hoof-like claws, and hands with four fingers plus a cone-shaped thumb spike. The thumb spikes may have been used for defense or obtaining food.

The fossils of the family Iguanodontidae were discovered in Arizona, Montana, Oklahoma, Texas, Africa, Mongolia, Australia and Europe. Fossil footprints were discovered in Antarctica.



Depiction
In 1853, the Iguanodon was depicted with the spike applied errantly to the nose, and at the same year Richard Owen offered a toast to his learned colleagues inside the new complete sculpture of Iguanodon. The modern view of the Iguanodon is quite different from the original restoration.