The Iguanodon was a strong and advanced dinosaur that lived in the Early Cretaceous over 120 million years ago and used an elongated finger to grasp and forage for food. Iguanodon was first described in 1825 and was one of the first genus of dinosaur to be studied. Our knowledge of this herbivore has changed quite a bit over the years but it remains at the forefront of our understanding of the Mesozoic world.

These particular iguanodon fossils has also undergone a beautiful pyritization effect. Every piece is embedded with flecks of glittering metallic minerals which fill the cavities in the bone. Agate mineralization also accompany the pyrite inclusions.

This specimen is a fossilized cross-section of iguanodon bone recovered from the Weald Clay Deposits on the Isle of Wight. It is estimated to be over 125,000,000 years old and dates back to the Cretaceous period.

Each showcase specimen is a one-of-a-kind fossil. The shape, pattern, and color of each piece is completely unique, including their golden pyrite and agate patterns. These minerals filled the holes of the spongy bone material and are a beautiful look at the inside of the iguanodon.

A small information card and certificate of authenticity are included along with a metal stand for display. Each piece has been photographed separately by size and you can see all available Iguanodon and other showcase Hadrosaurs in the collection below!

Gilded with glittering minerals, this pyritized Iguanodon bone is both a striking fossil and a demonstration of a fascinating chemical process. Pyrite is a mineral composed of iron and sulfide with a brassy gold appearance, hence its common name, Fool's Gold. The mineral can grow on its own in crystal formations, or it can function as what’s called a replacement mineral in a rock or fossil, as is the case with this Iguanodon bone.

This replacement process occurs when a specimen is submerged in sediment that’s rich with iron. As the animal’s organic material begins to break down, it releases sulfide which interacts with the iron to produce pyrite, persevering the animal’s remains and infusing it with the replacement mineral. Pyritization is a specific kind of permineralization, a broader term that encompasses pyritization along with similar carbon and silicon-based processes.

Iguanodons were large herbivore dinosaurs that stood three meters tall and weighed at least 5 tons, reigning over the earth during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous periods. They sported a horny beak to better chow down on vegetation as well as razor sharp thumb-like claws used to defend themselves.

Iguanodon’s name comes from the shape of their teeth, which superficially resemble an iguana’s, only twenty times larger. The animal was bipedal, balancing its mass on its hip joints and using its tail as a counterweight.

The study of Iguanodon is intimately bound up with the study of dinosaurs as a whole. The species was discovered by obstetrician Gideon Mantell, whose reconstruction of Iguanodon set the standard for dinosaur studies. Mantell was an obstetrician who, like other learned men of his time, engaged in paleontology as a hobby. His studies in the Cuckfield quarry of West Sussex lead to the discovery of many species of dinosaur. More than that, Mantell was the first to formally document the geological and environmental context the animals lived in.

He understood them as more than just lumbering giants and theorized that dinosaurs were likely far more complex and diverse than previously thought.

The iguanodon is also quite famous for a curious 1853 dinner party. Paleontologist Sir Richard Owen, who coined the word Dinosauria, hosted a dinner for several guests that may have been unremarkable... except for the fact that it was held inside one of the first life-size replicas of a dinosaur.

The iguanodon model could hold twenty one men inside its massive ribcage and many biologists and paleontolgists were invited to dine. Thanks to a preserved menu card, we know they were treated to a meal of turkey, pheasant, fruit, and pigeon pie.

The party was hosted at the Crystal Palace, an incredible structure built to host the 1851 Great Exhibition in London. Some of these sculptures even survive today and even though they could use some anatomy updates they're still quite fun to see!

Our understanding of iguanodons and dinosaurs at-large has changed quite a bit since the night Owen hosted his dinner, but the awe he and his guests must have felt that night remains felt today.

In our research, we also discovered something we simply couldn't leave out — the dinosaur dinner party had its own theme song written by Edward Forbes. It was sung within the model itself for the guests. Here's the lyrics below if you're looking for party music:

"A thousand ages underground / His skeleton has lain; / But now his body’s big and round, / And he’s himself again! / His bones, like Adam’s, wrapped in clay, / His ribs of iron stout, / Where is the brute alive today / That dares to turn him out? / Beneath his hide he’s got inside / The souls of living men; / Who dare our saurian now deride / With life in him again? / (Chorus) The jolly old beast / Is not deceased / There’s life in him again (ROAR!)"