Iguanacolossus

Ig-wa-nah-coe-los-sus.
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Lilah Turner

Evolutionary Biologist

Lilah Turner investigates how prehistoric animals adapted to changing environments, offering insights into evolution's mechanisms.

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Name

Iguanacolossus ‭(‬Iguana colossus‭)‬.

Phonetic

Ig-wa-nah-coe-los-sus.

Named By

Andrew T.‭ ‬McDonald,‭ ‬James I.‭ ‬Kirkland,‭ ‬Donald D.‭ ‬DeBlieux,‭ ‬Scott K.‭ ‬Madsen,‭ ‬Jennifer Cavin,‭ ‬Andrew R.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Milner‭ & ‬Lukas Panzarin‭ ‬-‭ ‬2010.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Ornithopoda,‭ ‬Iguanodontia.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

I.‭ ‬fortis‭

Size

Roughly estimated around 9 to‭ ‬10‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

USA‭ ‬-‭ ‬Utah‭ ‬-‭ ‬Cedar Mountain Formation.

Time Period

Barremian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial skull and post cranial remains.

In Depth

       Iguanacolossus acquired its name from its similarity to another dinosaur named Iguanodon.‭ ‬Although Iguanacolossus might not actually have been any bigger than the largest examples of Iguanodon,‭ ‬it might still have been the largest ornithopod plant eating dinosaur alive in North America at this stage of the Cretaceous,‭ ‬with the only plant‭ ‬eaters larger than this being the sauropods.

Further Reading

New Basal Iguanodonts from the Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah and the Evolution of Thumb-Spiked Dinosaurs – PLoS One 5(11):e14075:1-35 – A. T. McDonald, J. I. Kirkland, D. D. DeBlieux, S. K. Madsen, J. Cavin, A. R. C. Milner & L. Panzarin – 2010.

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