Owenodon

Owenodon was a small herbivorous ornithopod dinosaur that lived during the earliest Cretaceous period in what is now southern England. First discovered in Dorset's Purbeck Group during the nineteenth century, the holotype consists of a partial lower jaw with well-preserved teeth. For many decades this fossil was classified within Iguanodon, Hypsilophodon, or Camptosaurus before being named as a distinct genus in 2009, honouring Sir Richard Owen. Estimated at roughly two metres long, it was about the size of a sheep and moved on two slender hind feet. Its distinctive crown-shaped teeth were adapted to chop tough vegetation, offering a glimpse into the diverse assemblage of smaller plant-eaters inhabiting European coastal lagoons and woodlands.

Originally assigned to Hypsilophodon and then Camptosaurus, it was recognized as a distinct genus more than a century later.

Where and when

Owenodon lived in the Late Jurassic, from 145 to 140 million years ago (Berriasian age). Its remains come from United Kingdom, in the Purbeck Group.

The numbers

Length 2 m (estimates run from 1.5 to 2.5 m). Mass about 28 kg. Hip height about 0.7 m. That is 1.2 human-lengths, or 0.18 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from fragmentary remains; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, first ma, last ma, hip height.

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