Iguanodontidae

Iguanodontids
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 126–122 Ma
↓
Iguanodon bernissartensis mounted in modern quadrupedal posture, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: †Ornithischia
Clade: †Neornithischia
Clade: †Ornithopoda
Clade: †Hadrosauriformes
Family: †Iguanodontidae
Bonaparte, 1850
Subgroups

Iguanodontidae is a family of iguanodontians belonging to Styracosterna, a derived clade within Ankylopollexia.

Characterized by their elongated maxillae, they were herbivorous and typically large in size. This family exhibited locomotive dynamism; there exists evidence for both bipedalism and quadrupedalism within iguanodontid species, supporting the idea that individual organisms were capable of both locomoting exclusively with their hind limbs and locomoting quadrupedally.[2] Iguanodontids possess hoof-like second, third, and fourth digits, and in some cases, a specialized thumb spike and an opposable fifth digit.[3] Their skull construction allows for a strong chewing mechanism called a transverse power stroke.[4] This, paired with their bilateral dental occlusion, made them extremely effective as herbivores.[5] Members of Iguanodontidae are thought to have had a diet that consisted of both gymnosperms and angiosperms, the latter of which co-evolved with the iguanodontids in the Cretaceous period.[6]

There is no consensus on the phylogeny of the group. Iguanodontidae is most frequently characterized as paraphyletic with respect to Hadrosauridae,[7][8] although some researchers advocate for a monophyletic view of the family.[9][10]

  1. ^ Lockwood, Jeremy A. F.; Martill, David M.; Maidment, Susannah C. R. (2024-12-31). "Comptonatus chasei, a new iguanodontian dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, southern England". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 22 (1). doi:10.1080/14772019.2024.2346573. ISSN 1477-2019.
  2. ^ Galton, Peter (1976). "The Dinosaur Vectisaurus valdensis (Ornithischia: Iguanodontidae) from the Lower Cretaceous of England". Journal of Paleontology. 50 (5): 976–984.
  3. ^ Moratalla, J.J. (1992). "A Quadrupedal Ornithopod Trackway from the Lower Cretaceous of La Rioja (Spain): Inferences on Gait and Hand Structure". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 12 (2): 150–157. doi:10.1080/02724634.1992.10011445. JSTOR 4523436.
  4. ^ Godefroit, Pascal (2012). Bernissart Dinosaurs and Early Cretaceous Terrestrial Ecosystems.
  5. ^ Weishampel, David (2012). Evolution of Jaw Mechanisms in Ornithopod Dinosaurs.
  6. ^ Barrett, P.M. (2001). "Did Dinosaurs invent flowers? Dinosaur-angiosperm coevolution revisited" (PDF). Biol. Revs. 76 (3): 411–447. doi:10.1017/s1464793101005735. PMID 11569792. S2CID 46135813.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference iguanacolossus was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference AM12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference old was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference mono was invoked but never defined (see the help page).