Dinosaurs William Buckland realizes that fossils he previously believed to be of cetacean origin were actually Iguanodon fossils. This mistake cost him the chance to describe the genus himself.
New taxa Taxon Novelty Status Author(s) Age Unit Location Notes Images "Iguanosaurus" Gen. nov. Nomen nudum Anonymous Barremian, 126-125 mya Unknown "Iguanosaurus" was first mentioned in a magazine article by an anonymous author (possibly Mantell) in 1824. The author suggested that Mantell was originally going to name the teeth "Iguanosaurus", but William Daniel Conybeare suggested that it be instead named Iguanodon. Megalosaurus Gen. nov. Valid Buckland Bathonian, 166 mya Taynton Limestone Formation The Reverend William Buckland gives a presentation to the Geological Society describing the first scientifically named dinosaur, Megalosaurus on February 20. Later that year its formal scientific description is published in writing.
Pterosaurs
New taxa Taxon Novelty Status Author(s) Age Unit Location Notes Images Pterodactylus grandis Sp. nov. Nomen dubium Cuvier Kimmeridgian Solnhofen limestone
Plesiosaurs
New taxa
Taxon Novelty Status Author(s) Age Unit Location Notes Images Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus Sp. nov. Valid Conybeare Sinemurian, 199 mya Blue Lias Henry De la Beche and Conybeare named the genus in 1821, following up with the type species P. dolichodeirus in 1824. The species was named on the basis of a complete skeleton discovered by Mary Anning.
Pterosaurs Cuvier reiterated his previous conclusions that Pterodactylus was a reptile that flew with membranous wings. He also advanced novel speculations about its paleobiology, like that it used the claws on its wings to climb trees and "crawled" quadrupedally when not in flight rather than walking on its hind limbs.
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