Iguanodon facts for kids

Meet Iguanodon

Its name means iguana tooth. Its teeth looked like much bigger versions of an iguana's teeth. Iguanodon was one of the first giant prehistoric dinosaurs ever named, from teeth found in Sussex in the 1820s.

It was a plant-eater about 10 metres long, with a beak. It could move on two legs or on four.

Thumb spikes

Iguanodon had a sharp spike on each thumb. It may have used the spikes to fend off meat-eaters.

The first scientists to rebuild Iguanodon put a spike on its nose. Early scientists had only a few bones, so they guessed the spike was a horn, like a rhino's.

When and where did it live?

In the Early Cretaceous, about 140 to 110 million years ago. Its fossils have been found in England, Belgium and Germany.

Iguanodon in a nutshell

• Name means: iguana tooth
• Lived: about 140 to 110 million years ago, in the Early Cretaceous
• Ate: plants
• Length: about 10 metres
• Found in: England, Belgium and Germany

Quick quiz: Iguanodon

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