Iguanodont facts for kids

The iguanodonts are a fascinating group of plant-eating dinosaurs! They are part of a larger group called Iguanodontia. Think of them as a big family of dinosaurs that scientists believe are closely related. These dinosaurs were a type of ornithopod, which means "bird-footed" because of their three-toed feet.

What are Iguanodonts?

Iguanodonts were mostly large, plant-eating dinosaurs that lived during the Mesozoic Era, especially during the Cretaceous Period. They could often walk on two legs (bipedal) but could also use all four legs (quadrupedal) when grazing. Many had a special thumb spike, which they might have used for defense or to strip leaves from plants.

Families in the Iguanodont Group

Scientists group iguanodonts into several families. These families include some well-known dinosaurs:

• Iguanodontidae: This family includes the famous Iguanodon, one of the first dinosaurs ever discovered!
• Camptosauridae: Dinosaurs like Camptosaurus belong here. They were generally smaller than Iguanodon.
• Dryosauridae: This family includes agile, smaller ornithopods such as Dryosaurus.
• Hadrosauridae: These are the "duck-billed" dinosaurs, known for their wide, flat snouts. They were very successful.
• Rhabdodontidae: A group of iguanodonts found mostly in Europe.

How Iguanodonts are Classified

The idea of grouping all these families together into Iguanodontia is a proposal that many paleontologists (scientists who study dinosaurs) support. It helps them understand how these dinosaurs are related to each other. The only major group of ornithopods not usually included in Iguanodontia is the small, speedy Hypsilophodon, which is in its own family, Hypsilophodontidae.

However, not all scientists agree on every detail of this classification. Some important reference books still list these families separately as general Ornithopods. This means that the way we classify these dinosaurs is still being discussed and refined as new discoveries are made!

Images for kids

• 

  Skeletal mount of Dryosaurus at the Beneski Museum of Natural History

• 

  Skeletal mount of Camptosaurus at the Museum of Western Colorado's Dinosaur Journey Museum

See also

In Spanish: Ornithopoda para niños