#iguanodontid

[allstarshengans]

Yixian formation rivalry

Iguanodon thumb version

Thumb

[cockatielfrenzi]

Couple of doodles from today

[naturalsciencesbelgium]

An exceptionally well-preserved fossil from China reveals the true appearance and possible defence strategies of iguanodontian dinosaurs. The new species Haolong dongi preserves skin at cellular level and bears strange spikes never seen before in dinosaurs.

Although the genus Iguanodon celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2025 and remains one of the best-documented dinosaurs in the world, the broader group Iguanodontia still holds surprises. In a new study, an international research team describes Haolong dongi, a new iguanodontian dinosaur from northeastern China - preserved with skin so well fossilized that its cellular structure is still visible after 125 million years. And the story also resonates closer to home: Haolong belongs to the same big family as the Bernissart Iguanodons - the stars of our Institute of Natural Sciences - offering a rare look at what the skin of their relatives could look like in life.

Skin preserved down to the cell nucleus

This juvenile dinosaur nicknamed the “spiny dragon” was not only armoured with large overlapping scales along its tail, but its body was also covered in spikes of different sizes - structures never before seen in dinosaurs. Advanced imaging and histological analyses revealed that these spikes were cornified and exceptionally preserved down to the level of individual keratinocyte nuclei. These appendages represent a unique evolutionary innovation, never observed in dinosaurs so far. “Finding skin preserved at the cellular level in a dinosaur is extraordinary,” says Pascal Godefroit, senior author and palaeontologist at the Institute of Natural Sciences. “It gives us a window into the biology of these animals at a level that we never thought possible.”

What were the spikes for?

The spikes likely served as a deterrent against predators, making Haolong harder to swallow for the numerous smaller theropods that roamed the same ecosystem. They may also have played roles in thermoregulation or sensory perception. “This discovery shows that even well-studied groups like iguanodontian dinosaurs can still surprise us,” adds Huang Jiandong, director of the research department of Anhui Geological Museum and first author of the paper. “The complexity of dinosaur skin is far greater than we imagined.”

A new name in an iconic lineage

Named in honour of the late Dong Zhiming, a pioneer of Chinese dinosaur research, Haolong dongi occupies a basal position in the lineage leading to hadrosaurs - the famous duck-billed dinosaurs. Its unique integumentary structures highlight the evolutionary creativity of dinosaurs and underscore the importance of continued exploration. “Two centuries after the naming of Iguanodon, we are still rewriting the story of these iconic herbivores,” says Wu Wenhao, co-author from Jilin University who first observed the presence of those bizarre structures in Haolong. “This fossil reminds us that nature’s experiments often leave behind spectacular traces.” The study is published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. [Images: Fabio Manucci (artist's impression), Thierry Hubin, Institute of Natural Sciences]

[saritapaleo]

Archovember 2024 Day 30 - Iguanodon bernissartensis

Our final species for Archovember is Iguanodon bernissartensis! As one of the more famous dinosaurs, Iguanodon is known for being one of the first dinosaurs to recieve a life-sized model, while now outdated and with the thumb spike placed on its nose. This has made Iguanodon a public example of how our scientific advances have improved our understanding of these ancient animals.

A very successful species in life, Iguanodon bernissartensis lived from the Late Jurassic all the way into the Early Cretaceous. Remains have been found in Belgium, Germany, England, and Spain. It is the type species of its own family of ornithopods: the Iguanodontids. They were large, bulky, muscular animals that could shift between quadrupedality to bipedality when needed, but were probably more quadrupedal as they got older and heavier. Their long arms supported conical thumb-spikes that could have been used for defense and/or for foraging. It used its cropping beak and grinding teeth for chewing up tough plant matter. Its long outer fingers were flexible, and may have aided in grabbing onto food as well.

Due to its wide range across Europe and across eons, Iguanodon bernissartensis would have lived alongside a variety of different species in different time periods and habitats. Formations where it has been found include the Sainte-Barbe Clays Formation, the Arcillas de Morella Formation, and the Wessex Formation. In Early Cretaceous Europe, it would have lived alongside fellow iguanodonts like Mantellisaurus and Valdosaurus. Other ornithischians included ornithopods like Morelladon, ankylosaurs like Polacanthus and Vectipelta, and smaller ornithischians like Hypsilophodon and Vectidromeus. It would have also come across sauropods like Garumbatitan, Oplosaurus, Eucamerotus, and Ornithopsis, spinosaurids like Protathlitis, Vallibonavenatrix, Ceratosuchops, and Riparovenator, other carnosaurs like Altispinax and Neovenator, compsognathids like Aristosuchus, and dromaeosaurids like Ornithodesmus and Vectiraptor. Iguanodon would have also shared Early Cretaceous Europe with pterosaurs like Coloborhynchus and pseudosuchians like Anteophthalmosuchus and Bernissartia.

This art may be used for educational purposes, with credit, but please contact me first for permission before using my art. I would like to know where and how it is being used. If you don’t have something to add that was not already addressed in this caption, please do not repost this art. Thank you!

[fawnrats]

you can't see much of them, but the iguanodon character pictured here was designed by & belongs to thedilophoraptor on primeval age. her name is fen!

primeval age (the arpg I made the euoplocephalus oc & this art for) is set in the future after these dinosaurs have been de-extincted & introduced to a couple fictional islands in the pacific ocean.

it's unlikely that euoplocephalus & iguanodon coexisted in real life. euplocephalus is known from canada during the campanian stage of the late cretaceous, whereas iguanodon is known from europe during the barremian stage of the early cretaceous.

[pocoslip]

I would not be surprised if Univeral Studios change the Design for Ouranosaurus instead of using the Evolution or Camp Cretaceous or also Operation Genesis Models if they ever appear in a Movie like with Giganotosaurus in Dominion

[byumuseumofpaleontology]

Transcript: The bones in this corner of the display come from a large herbivorous iguanodontid dinosaur. The leaf-shaped tooth that was soon to erupt from the lower jaw shows that it was closely related to the European Iguanodon, but minor differences in many other elements of the body (such as a very tall spine) identify this as a new species.

Although not articulated (preserved with bones in their original position, as opposed to scattered) many of the bones from this animal were found in fairly good shape and grouped in a small, associated area. This suggests that the animal was introduced into the bone bed much later than the more damaged bone debris that make up most of the assemblage. This dinosaur did not escape damage, however. Tooth marks on the tip of the spine of the tail vertebra show that it had been scavenged by the Utahraptor, and the broken shaft of the femur suggests that it was trampled by large sauropods.

reblog if you also have a leaf-shaped tooth that soon to erupt from the lower jaw OR if you would like to be introduced into the bone bed. or even if you did not escape damage

[actual-haise]

A solitary Iguanacolossus observes an approaching storm in prehistoric Utah, 130 million years before today.