Deinonychus vs Iguanodon
A detailed side-by-side comparison of Deinonychus and Iguanodon, covering size, diet, classification, geologic period, and discovery history.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Property | Deinonychus | Iguanodon |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Deinonychus antirrhopus | Iguanodon bernissartensis |
| Classification | Dromaeosauridae | Ornithischia |
| Period | Cretaceous Early | Cretaceous Early |
| Diet | Carnivore | Herbivore |
| Length | 3.4 m | 10.0 m |
| Height | 0.9 m | 3.0 m |
| Weight | 73 kg | 3.4 t |
| Discovery Year | 1969 | 1825 |
| Discovery Location | Montana, USA | Sussex, England |
| Named By | John Ostrom | Gideon Mantell |
Size Comparison
about the size of a human adult
about as long as 2 cars end-to-end
Weight Comparison
about 1 adult humans
comparable to 3.4 small cars
Timeline Comparison
Deinonychus and Iguanodon both lived during the Cretaceous Early period and may have shared the same habitats.
Diet Comparison
Deinonychus
CarnivoreDeinonychus was a meat-eating predator, hunting other animals for food.
Iguanodon
HerbivoreIguanodon was a plant-eater, feeding on vegetation like ferns, conifers, and cycads.
Classification Comparison
Deinonychus
Iguanodon
Group: Ornithischia
(Bird-hipped dinosaurs)
Did You Know?
Iguanodon was about 2.9x longer than Deinonychus.
Iguanodon weighed roughly 47x more than Deinonychus.
Deinonychus was a carnivore while Iguanodon was a herbivore.
Both dinosaurs lived during the Cretaceous Early period and may have coexisted.
Iguanodon was discovered 144 years earlier, in 1825.
Deinonychus belonged to Dromaeosauridae while Iguanodon belonged to Ornithischia.
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