Darwinsaurus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids DarwinsaurusTemporal range: Lower Cretaceous, fossil range 140–138 mya
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | †Ornithischia |
| Suborder: | †Ornithopoda |
| Clade: | †Styracosterna |
| Genus: | †Darwinsaurus Paul, 2012 |
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Darwinsaurus (which means "Darwin's lizard") is a type of dinosaur called an ornithopod. For a long time, scientists thought its fossils belonged to a different dinosaur called Iguanodon. But in 2012, it was given its own special name!
Meet Darwinsaurus!
This dinosaur is named after Charles Darwin, who was famous for his ideas about how living things change over time, which is called evolution. The first Darwinsaurus fossil found was part of a skeleton.
Finding the Fossils
The story of Darwinsaurus began a long time ago, in the early 1800s. Dinosaur bones were found near a town called Hastings in East Sussex, England.
A Dinosaur with Many Names
When these bones were first found, scientists weren't sure exactly what they were.
- In 1842, a scientist named Richard Owen was the first to write about them.
- Later, in 1889, another scientist, Richard Lydekker, thought they were from a dinosaur called Iguanodon fittoni.
- In 2010, David B. Norman decided they belonged to a dinosaur called Hypselospinus fittoni.
- Finally, in 2012, a scientist named Gregory S. Paul said these fossils were from a completely new dinosaur! He named it Darwinsaurus evolutionis.
Some scientists are still discussing if Darwinsaurus is truly its own unique dinosaur, or if it belongs to one of the other groups.
Images for kids
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A metatarsal III foot bone from a fossil specimen.
See also
In Spanish: Darwinsaurus evolutionis para niños
