1824 in paleontology explained

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.

Newly named dinosaurs

Taxon	Novelty	Status	Author(s)	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
"Iguanosaurus"	Gen. nov.	Nomen nudum	Anonymous^[1]	Barremian, 126-125 mya^[2]	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^[3]	Gen. nov.	Valid	William Buckland	Bathonian, 166 mya^[4]	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.^[5]

Plesiosaurs

New taxa

Notes and References

1. Delair. J.B.. Sarjeant. W.A.S.. 1975. Earliest Discoveries of the Dinosaurs. Isis. 66. 1. 4–25. 229523. 10.1086/351373.
2. Carpenter. K.. Ishida. Y.. 2010. Early and "Middle" Cretaceous Iguanodonts in Time and Space. Journal of Iberian Geology. 36. 2. 145–164. 10.5209/rev_JIGE.2010.v36.n2.3. free.
3. Buckland. W.. 1824. Notice on the Megalosaurus, or great fossil lizard of Stonesfield. Transactions of the Geological Society of London. 2. 1. 390–396. 10.1144/transgslb.1.2.390.
4. Benson. R.B.J.. 2009. An assessment of variability in theropod dinosaur remains from the Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) of Stonesfield and New Park Quarry, UK and taxonomic implications for Megalosaurus bucklandii and Iliosuchus incognitus. Palaeontology. 52. 4. 857–877. 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2009.00884.x.
5. Book: Farlow, J.O.. Brett-Surmann. M.K.. The Complete Dinosaur. Indiana University Press. 1999. 8–9. 0-253-21313-4.
6. Book: Storrs, G.W.. 1997. Morphological and taxonomic clarification of the genus Plesiosaurus. 145–190. Callaway. J.M. Nicholls. E.L.. Ancient Marine Reptiles. limited. Academic press.