The first bones of Iguanodon to be discovered were teeth found in the 1820s, though there is some debate about who found them. The popular legend goes that they were found by Mary Ann Mantell, wife of doctor and paleontologist Gideon Mantell, while they were out on a stroll.
This was before scientists had any real understanding of what a “dinosaur” was, and many at the time dismissed the teeth as coming from a fish or a rhinoceros. It wasn’t until William Buckland – who had recently described Megalosaurus as the first named dinosaur – examined the teeth that he confirmed they belonged to a giant reptile. Naturalist Georges Cuvier, who had previously said they were likely rhino teeth, then decided they may have belonged to a large plant-eating reptile. The teeth, which resembled those of an iguana, led Gideon Mantell to settle on the name Iguanodon, making it the second named species of dinosaur.
Around ten years after the first discovery, a more complete specimen was found. The similarity of the teeth led Mantell to confirm that it was another Iguanodon. Initially, the large spike (which is now known to have been the dinosaur’s thumb) was placed on the nose as a horn. Statues of these incorrect Iguanodons were created and exhibited in London’s famous Crystal Palace Park.
In 1878, miners in Belgium happened upon a major discovery of at least 38 Iguanodon skeletons. These mostly complete remains gave a new understanding of Iguanodon, including the proper location of its thumb spike. Fossils from this find would be some of the first ever mounted dinosaur skeletons in museums.
