Dinosaur Fossils In England
Many dinosaur fossils have been found in England. The earliest known dinosaur fossil in England was discovered in 1676 by Reverend Plot, who found a femur. On discovering his archaeological find, Reverend Plot concluded that it was that of a giant. |
However, the fist dinosaur fossil in England to be described scientifically was that of a Megalosaurus in 1819. The fossil was described by William Buckland, who was a fossil hunter and a clergyman. At that point, when the scientific report was published, dinosaurs were not considered to be a separate taxonomic group.
There are evidences of other dinosaur finds, namely by Gideon Mantell, who was another fossil hunter. Mantell has been credited for describing and naming a dinosaur that we now know as Iguanodon in 1825. According to historical records, teeth and some bones were found by Mantell's wife in 1822 in southern part of England. Mantell has also been credited for naming another armored plant eating dinosaur, the Hylaeosaurus, in 1833.
The first life size models of dinosaurs in England were made from concrete in 1854 by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins. This model was that of an Iguanodon and made for amusement purpose for a dinner party hosted for scientists.
Due to so many dinosaur fossils being found in England, a British anatomist, Sir Richard Owen, has been given the credit for coining the term Dinosauria in 1841. This ended up finally making the dinosaurs a new suborder of the large reptiles that were extinct. Owen coined the term after figuring out that many of the dinosaur fossils in England belonging to different species had common characteristics.
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When it comes to evolution, nothing provides better evidence than fossils. Fossil evidence for evolution has not been given that much importance by many scientists who feel that there is sufficient evidences available without studying fossils. 