Iguanodon

Iguanodon, a herbivore living 126 – 122 million years ago, is one of the most famous dinosaurs, it was the 2nd dinosaur ever to be named.  It was an interesting hadrosaur, because it has a strange spike growing out of its hand, possibly used for defense, and it also had a prehensile fifth finger they could use for foraging food or gripping branches.  An adult Iguanodon was about 33-43 feet long and weighed about 3.4 tons.  It could walk on two legs or four, and had a beak covered in keratin with one row of teeth on the top and bottom of the mouth for grinding plants.

Although Iguanodon is a bulky dinosaur, I have alway liked how unusual that spike was on its hand.  I love hadrosaurs, they always seem so beautiful, and their great size must have made them so awesome to behold, especially in a large group.  The iguanodons are roaming through the dusty desert, in search of food and water.  I was inspired by the path elephants make to new territory, some die along the way, some get lost.

The painting was done in oils on paper mounted to masonite.