[D] Hypsilophodon foxii [Su] [sG] [T]
Describer
Huxley, 1869
Time
Cretaceous Early Valanginian Hauterivian Barremian
Classification
Ornithischia Ornithopoda Hypsilophodontidae
Diet
Herbivore
Fossilsite
*Wealden Beds, East Sussex, Wealden Beds Maris, Isle of Wight, England; Las Zabacheras Beds, Provincia de Teruel, Spain
Length
2.3 meter
Info
Genus - Typespecies - Skull
An ornithopod little longer than the height of a human, Hypsilophodon (\\\\\\\"high ridge tooth\\\\\\\") was a gazelle-like dinosaur, engineered for both browsing and escaping danger. In its small head were large, keen eyes and a complex feeding mechanism: a horny beak with upper teeth; self- sharpening top and bottum cheek teeth that formed a cutting edge; strong, mobile jaws; and cheek pouches for storing food.
Experts thought the first-known Hypsilophodon (found in 1849) was an Iguanodon. Later finds with distinctive teeth convinced Thomas Huxley that this was a \\\\\\\"new\\\\\\\" dinosaur genus.The list of anatomical characteristics is quite impressive: the first toe of the foot was supposed to be reversed so that it could grip on to branches; the claws on the hindfoot were strongly arched and sharp so that movement on the ground would have been difficult; the bones of the forearm were bowed like those of the tree-kangeroo; the great rance of movement that was possible ate the shoulder; the hindlimb muscles were so arranged that the animal could notrun fast, but were well suited to climbing and balancing and (vi) the tail was rigid and so served as a balancing aid.
About twenty-three partial or complete skeletons have been discovered on the Isle of Wight until 1983; all of these have come from a small area of cliffs, the so-called \\\\\\\"Hypsilophodon bed\\\\\\\" from which virtually nothing else has been discovered. Many of the skeletons are beautifully preserved with all the bones in position, and several skeletons are pratically touching.
3 nearly complete skeletons, approximately 10 partial skeletons, cranial and postcranial elements.
* (Wealden Beds East Sussex Hypsilophodon sp.=?H. foxii)