“One of the First Dinosaurs Ever Named”
Binomial Iguanodon bernissartensis · ih-GWAH-noh-don
Early Cretaceous - 126-113 Ma
IllustrationIguanodon fossil records in Fossil Atlas are mapped as selected modern discovery locations, with 308 source-backed records currently shown. Europe and North Africa in the broader source mix, with the strongest Fossil Atlas country path currently through United Kingdom Wealden-related records. Key mapped formations in the current dataset include Wealden , Wealden Group, Oxford Clay Formation, Weald Clay Formation. These pins are fossil record locations, not a complete ancient habitat map.
Iguanodon is one of the foundational names in dinosaur science. Fossil Atlas uses selected records from the Wealden and related Early Cretaceous units to build a United Kingdom and European fossil-map path, while distinguishing the 1825 genus history from later I. bernissartensis taxonomy.
Drawn true to scale on a metre ruler.
Length
measured10 m · 33 ft
Largest known specimens
Height
measured3 m (10 ft)
Body mass
estimate3,200 kg · 7,000 lb
Typical adult
Top speed
estimate24 km/h · 15 mph
Modelled, debated
Iguanodon was a large, bulky ornithopod capable of walking on both two and four legs depending on speed and activity. Its thumb bore a large conical spike, probably used in defense or intraspecific competition, and its hands were otherwise built for both weight-bearing and manipulating vegetation. It could process a wide range of plant material using a beak for cropping and ridged cheek teeth further back in the jaw.
The thumb spike
A conical bony spike on the first digit, originally and incorrectly reconstructed as a nasal horn in the very first restorations. Its defensive or competitive function is plausible but not directly confirmed.
Locomotion
Bipedal at speed, quadrupedal at slower pace. The middle three fingers of the hand were hoof-like, adapted for weight-bearing when moving on all fours.
Teeth
Ridged, leaf-shaped cheek teeth for shredding plant material, continuously replaced. A toothless beak at the front for cropping.
Scale
At around 10 metres, Iguanodon was among the biggest ornithopods. It would have needed access to abundant vegetation and likely ranged widely.
Position of this animal’s known range across 252 million years of the Mesozoic and beyond.
126-113 million years ago
Iguanodon was one of the first dinosaur genera ever named.
Its thumb spike was once misunderstood in early reconstructions.
Its records are part of the early history of British dinosaur research.
Gideon Mantell described Iguanodon in 1825 from teeth found in the Weald of Sussex, making it one of the three original dinosaur genera. Early reconstructions were badly wrong: the thumb spike was placed on the nose. In 1878, a mine collapse in Bernissart, Belgium, exposed 38 near-complete Iguanodon skeletons at once, transforming understanding of the animal and allowing researchers to correct earlier errors. The Bernissart specimens are still on display in Brussels and remain among the most important dinosaur collections in Europe.
Animals known from the same deposits and time as Iguanodon.
Polacanthus
A heavily armored nodosaurid from the Wealden Formation of Britain and Europe.
Hypsilophodon
A small, fast ornithopod sharing the Wealden Formation, occupying a very different feeding niche.
Neovenator
A large predatory theropod from the Wealden, one of the main threats to Iguanodon in the British Early Cretaceous.
Other members of Iguanodontidae.
Edmontosaurus
A derived hadrosaur descended from the same ornithopod lineage, from the end of the Cretaceous.
Parasaurolophus
A crested hadrosaur in the same broad ornithopod group.
Mantellisaurus
A closely related iguanodontid from the Wealden, sometimes included within Iguanodon in older classifications.
Pins show selected fossil records for Iguanodon; use them as modern discovery evidence, not a complete range map. Modern fossil discovery map: pins show where selected fossil and specimen records were found today, not ancient Earth positions. What does this mean?
Specimen evidence
These are sourced specimen assets, separate from reconstruction artwork. Only media with clear open or reusable rights is displayed by default.
Iguanodon is represented here by selected fossil records from europe and north africa in the broader source mix, with the strongest fossil atlas country path currently through united kingdom wealden-related records. Fossil Atlas maps those records as modern discovery locations.
No. The map shows modern fossil discovery locations from selected records. Ancient habitat and paleogeographic reconstructions are separate questions.
The current Fossil Atlas records include Wealden , Wealden Group. Formation coverage depends on the selected dataset and may not be complete.
Yes. Use the expedition card generator to turn the Iguanodon map and specimen profile into a shareable card.
Selected fossil records from PBDB and museum biodiversity aggregators. This is not a complete fossil count by country; source labels and confidence notes help distinguish canonical paleobiology records from specimen-media records.
Reconstruction images are labeled illustrations and do not represent fossil evidence. Size, speed, and bite-force figures are typical published estimates and remain subject to revision as new specimens are described.
Maps use curated PBDB, museum, and specimen-source records with visible caveats.
Pins show where fossils were found or reported today, not exact ancient habitat positions.
Artwork is labeled separately from specimen photos, maps, and source records.
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