A partial dinosaur skeleton discovered at a brickworks in Surrey in 2001 represents a previously unknown genus and species of early-diverging hadrosauroid iguanodontid. Named Paludohadros prouldovii, the herbivorous dinosaur lived in the wetlands of what is now southern England about 125 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous.
The new species belonged to Iguanodontia, a group of herbivorous dinosaurs known for the prominent spikes on their thumbs.
Paludohadros prouldovii is the first iguanodont dinosaur to be officially named after the geological formation in which it was discovered: the Weald Clay Formation at Smokejacks Brickworks.
An early-diverging iguanodont
“Iguanodontia was one of the first dinosaur groups to be named and is one of the most diverse and widespread ornithischian groups, with fossils dating from the Middle Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous,” said lead author Dr Ricardo Sakamoto, who worked with students and colleagues from the Natural History Museum in London and the University of São Paulo.
“This group includes Iguanodon, the first ornithischian genus to be named. In 2021, Iguanodontia was defined as the smallest clade containing Dryosaurus altus, Iguanodon bernissartensis, Rhabdodon priscus and Tenontosaurus tilletti.”
“While the diversity of this clade was relatively low during the Jurassic, recent descriptions and reinterpretations suggest that it was more diverse than previously thought.”
Paludohadros prouldovii was about 5 meters long and weighed an estimated 1.5 to 2 tons, making it roughly the size of a rhinoceros.
Because its bones had not yet fully matured, the animal was probably a juvenile and may have grown to about twice its size.
“Paludohadros prouldovii is the first species I’ve ever named, and it’s an honor to work on it,” Sakamoto said.
“I still remember that amazing moment when I realized this was a new species that no one had seen before.”
Found near Baryonyx
“Paludohadros prouldovii was discovered just 100 meters (328 feet) away from Baryonyx remains that are also held at the Natural History Museum,” said lead author Professor Susanna Maidment, a palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum and the University of Birmingham.
“Meanwhile, although Baryonyx is best known for eating fish, the dinosaur’s last meal also included a baby iguanodon.”
“We can’t know for sure which species the baby belonged to, so perhaps Baryonyx scavenged the bodies of young Paludohadros prouldovii, or even hunted them when it had the opportunity.”
The paper describing the discovery was published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.
Ricardo J. Sakamoto et al. 2026. “A new species of iguanodont dinosaur discovered in the Weald Clay Formation (Early Cretaceous) at Smokejacks Brickworks in southern England.” Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 24(2). doi: 10.1080/14772019.2026.2726221
Source: www.sci.news
