Iguanodon is a genus of dinosaur belonging to the group Iguanodontidae. It lived during the Early Cretaceous period, approximately 125 to 130 million years ago. The first fossils of Iguanodon were discovered in the early 19th century by Mary Ann Mantell, the wife of Gideon Mantell, an English physician and geologist. The discovery took place in the English town of Cuckfield, Sussex, and it marked a groundbreaking moment in the field of paleontology.

Iguanodon was a large, herbivorous dinosaur, measuring around 30 to 40 feet (9 to 12 meters) in length and weighing up to 4 to 5 tons. It was characterized by its long, slender hind limbs and shorter, more robust forelimbs. Its hind limbs were well-adapted for bipedal locomotion, allowing it to move swiftly on its two hind legs.

One of the most distinctive features of Iguanodon was its dental anatomy. Instead of sharp, pointed teeth, it had broad, chisel-like teeth that formed a beak-like structure at the front of its mouth. These teeth were well-suited for cropping vegetation, and Iguanodon likely fed on a varied diet of plants, including ferns, cycads, and conifers.

Iguanadon was a large herbivore that had capabilites of moving either bipedally or quadrupedality. It had long arms that were roughly two thirds of the size of its hind legs. It had a distinct spike as a thumb that famously was thought originally to be a spike of the nose.

These animals had large, tall but narrow skulls, with toothless beaks. Its teeth were similar to iguanas teeth, hence the name iguanadon.

Iguanadon can be called the founding father of dinosaurs. Not in the sense that it is every dinosaurs ancestor but in terms of our scientific understanding of dinosaurs. In 1825 iguanadon became the second dinosaur to be named by science and it was one of the three dinosaurs that the british paleontologist Sir Richard Owen constructed the concept of “Dinosauria” in 1842. Ever since the studies and reconstructions of iguanadon have played an important role in advancing our understanding of dinosaurs.