Maidstone Iguanodon

The Maidstone Iguanodon refers to a significant fossil skeleton discovered near Maidstone, England, in 1834. This partial skeleton of an Iguanodon provided crucial insights into the appearance of these ancient creatures, as previous finds were more fragmentary.1

Iguanodon was a large, herbivorous dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous periods, approximately 161.2 to 99.6 million years ago. These dinosaurs were widespread across Europe, North Africa, North America, Australia, and Asia. An adult Iguanodon measured about 9 meters (30 feet) long and weighed four to five tons. They likely moved on four legs but could also walk on two. A distinctive feature was their hand, with a conelike spike on the thumb, three middle fingers ending in hooflike claws, and a diverging fifth finger. Their teeth were adapted for grinding tough plants like ferns and horsetails. The discovery of the Maidstone skeleton was instrumental in understanding these early dinosaur finds.21