Iguanodon

Iguanodon counts among the most intensely studied dinosaurs. In the years 1877/78, skeletons of 31 individuals were unearthed in Bernissart, Belgium, including 29 complete skeletons. This concentrations of animals in one place alone led to the assumption that these vegetarian dinosaurs lived in herds. Numerous fossilized footprints and tracks left behind by groups of individuals as they roamed the countryside together lend further proof to this theory. Iguanodon translates to “iguana tooth,” which indicates the similarity between its teeth and those of the modern-day iguanas. The toes of Iguanodon ended in hooves. The thumbs, however, were converted to a pointy thorn, which presumably served for defensive purposes.