What Is An Iguanodon?

The name sounds like it would be something like an iguana. Well, it is. An iguanodon is a dinosaur that got its name because a scientist thought its teeth looked like those of an iguana. The name means 'iguana-toothed'.

It might have been a haphazard way to name the creature, but scientists didn't have much to go on back then. It was 1809, and the iguanodon was only the second dinosaur ever discovered. What's more, the term 'dinosaur' had not even be invented yet. Scientists didn't know what they were dealing with.

A plant eater, the iguanodon stood over 16 feet tall; it is largely believed that it walked on its hind legs, although there is some debate over this. Many skeletal remains have been found in Europe. Scientists think that it travelled in herds. A distinctive feature of the iguanodon is the razor-sharp 'thumb-spikes' which were used for self defence.

One of the first iguanodon skeletons ever found was in rock located in Maidstone, Kent, England. The slab of rock can still be viewed at the Natural History Museum in London. In tribute to the Iguanodon, Maidstone's coat of Arms was redesigned in 1949 to feature the dinosaur.

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