page_title: Iguanodontidae
section_title: Locomotion
hierarchical_section_title: Iguanodontidae / Palaeobiology / Locomotion
caption_attribution_description: Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis, • Based proportionally on a skeletal drawing by Gregory Paul (2008). • This was for a long time classified Iguanodon atherfieldensis. In 2006 Gregory Paul reassigned it to a genus, Mantellisaurus. • Paul suggested that Mantellisaurus was primarily Bipedal, based on its limb and body proportions, the one shown here is resting on all fours. &#91;1&#93; • The colours and/or patterns, as with nearly all reconstructions of prehistoric creatures, are speculative. NOTE: I often update my images. If you want to have any of my images on a website, please (if possible) don’t host/save it to the website server. I’d prefer it if the image's Wikimedia URL is used. This means that if I update an image, it will be updated on the site as well. Thanks. References ↑ Paul, Gregory S.&#32;(2008).&#32;"A revised taxonomy of the iguanodont dinosaur genera and species". Cretaceous Research&#32;29&#32;(2): 192–216. DOI:10.1016/j.cretres.2007.04.009.
context_page_description: 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. Iguanodontids possess hoof-like second, third, and fourth digits, and in some cases, a specialized thumb spike and an opposable fifth digit. Their skull construction allows for a strong chewing mechanism called a transverse power stroke. This, paired with their bilateral dental occlusion, made them extremely effective as herbivores. 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.
  There is no consensus on the phylogeny of the group.
context_section_description: Fossilized footprints provide evidence for both quadrupedality and bipedality within iguanodontids.  It is thought that iguanodontids were primarily quadrupedal but could optionally walk on two limbs.  The ossification of tendons along the neural arches may have played a role in facilitating the dynamic pedality of iguanodontids, as the ossified tendons could help withstand the additional stress incurred on the backbone by standing upright.  Some research suggests that organism size plays a role in the determination of pedality, where larger organisms are more likely to choose to walk on all fours than their smaller counterparts.
caption: Mantellisaurus in quadrupedal posture
exif: {"Image ImageWidth": "4096", "Image ImageLength": "1505", "Image BitsPerSample": "[8, 8, 8]", "Image Compression": "Uncompressed", "Image PhotometricInterpretation": "2", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image SamplesPerPixel": "3", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image PlanarConfiguration": "1", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 (Windows)", "Image DateTime": "2019:05:01 23:29:45", "Image ExifOffset": "260", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "398", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "2515", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1280", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "470"}