Iani the Early Iguanadontian from Utah coloring page

 This is my free coloring pages blog.

I drew all the drawings except a few done by a grandnephew and a grandniece. 

Today's new drawing is of an early ancestor of the well-known dinosaur called Iguanodon.

Iani the Early Iguanodontian from Utah

Iani smithi was a herbivorous dinosaur from what is now Utah, USA.  It was an ancestor to the much better-known Iguanodon.  In fact, Iani smithi is a very recent discovery from the Eastern part of Utah where many dinosaur fossils have been found.  Iani lived in the Mid-Cretaceous when the Earth went through a rough time.  Many volcanos were going off.  The Rockies and other mountain ranges were building as well.  All this tectonic and volcanic activity resulted in a large increase in carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere.  

All the extra CO2 led to a massive increase in the temperatures worldwide.  This temperature increase put stress on plants and animals.  Some species disappeared.  Over time many species still managed to adapt to the changes in climate.  Iani appears to have been a survivor since its descendants lived to the end of the Mesozoic.  However, it is possible that Iani smithi is a species that WAS an ancestor to the late Cretaceous Iguanodons, and yet some of them remained and were wiped out by the increased temperature of their environment. 

Iani was about 10 feet or 3 meters long.  It had powerful jaws for crushing leaves, stems, and even roots.  It was named for the Roman god of change. 

NOTE:  This drawing can be found in printable form by clicking on the "Paleontology" button and then scrolling down to the bottom of the Mesozoic Life list.  Have fun coloring.