Open Paleo

Paludohadros

Sacamoto et al., 2026

From Latin 'palus' (swamp), for the swampy setting of the Weald Clay, and Greek 'hadros' (robust or stout), a term often used for iguanodontians.

125.8–121.4 million years ago Barremian, Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous stages

Paludohadros is an extinct genus of hadrosauroid ornithopod dinosaur known from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian age) Weald Clay Formation of the United Kingdom. The genus contains a single species, Paludohadros proudlovii, known from a partial skull and skeleton, as well as various isolated remains. It is one of several iguanodontian dinosaurs known from the Weald Basin, though all others are from older Valanginian rock layers, including Barilium, Hypselospinus, and Kukufeldia.

Diagnosis

  1. Dentary teeth with two secondary ridges and a variable number of accessory ridges on the lingual surface of the crown
  2. Surangular with a dorsally projecting lateral process laterally offset from the dorsal margin of the anterior process and separated from it by a shallow groove
  3. Humerus with a proximally extending ridge on the anteromedial surface of the medial distal condyle
  4. Ischium with a posteroventrally curved shaft, a well-developed ischial boot and a laterally projecting crest on the lateral surface of the proximal shaft
  5. Tibia with a boss on the medial surface of the proximal end

Species

Paludohadros proudlovii Sacamoto et al., 2026

Type species

Named for the late William Proudlove, former factory manager of Ewhurst Works, who passed away in 2000, shortly before the specimen was excavated.

Holotype
NHMUK PV R 16396 , Natural History Museum
Material
A partial skull and skeleton, including both premaxillae, much of the skull roof, palate and braincase, the predentary and both dentaries, three caudal vertebrae, the right scapula and coracoid, both sternal plates, both forelimbs with parts of the manus, the right ischium, the left femur, tibial and fibular material, and three metatarsals.
Horizon
Weald Clay Group, Barremian, Early Cretaceous , 125.8–121.4 million years ago
Locality
Smokejacks Pit (Ewhurst Works), Ockley, Surrey, United Kingdom

References

  1. Sacamoto, R. J.; Lockwood, J. A. F.; Langer, M. C.; Clark, B.; Barrett, P. M.; Turner, A.; Maidment, S. C. R. (2026). A new iguanodontian dinosaur from the Weald Clay Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of Smokejacks Brickworks, southern England. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 24(2): 2726221. doi:10.1080/14772019.2026.2726221 sacamoto2026a