Iguanodon

Iguanodon

Pronunciation:
ig-WHA-noh-don
Name meaning:
'iguana tooth'
Iguanodon
large ornithopod silhouette
Type of dinosaur:
large ornithopod
Length:
10.0m
Weight:
4000kg
Diet:
herbivorous herbivorous food icon
Teeth:
chewing cheek teeth and horny beak
Food:
plant material
How it moved:
on 2 or 4 legs
When it lived:
Early Cretaceous, 140-110 million years ago
Found in:
Belgium, England, United Kingdom

Iguanodon could probably walk on all fours or on two legs. It had a large thumb spike on the end of its hand, probably to fend-off predators, and the structure of the muscles inside its head suggest it had a very long tongue.

Taxonomic details

Taxonomy:
Dinosauria, Ornithischia, Ornithopoda, Euornithopoda, Iguanadontia, Euiguanadontia, Dryomorpha, Ankylopollexia, Iguanodontoidea
Named by:
Boulenger and van Beneden (1881)
Type species:
bernissartensis

Step back in time

Find out more about dinosaurs' lives and the world they lived in.

Fun and games

Learn more about dinosaurs through toys, board games and activity kits, available from our online shop.

Dinosaurs gallery

Roarrr. Come face-to-face with some of the Museum's most famous dinosaurs.