Gideon Mantell. Engraving of Gideon Algernon Mantell (1790-1852), British geologist. Mantell studied medicine in London but developed an obsessive int

---

Gideon Mantell. Engraving of Gideon Algernon Mantell (1790-1852), British geologist. Mantell studied medicine in London but developed an obsessive interest in geology, and particularly in paleontology. His fossil-filled house in Brighton became a popular public museum before he sold his collection to the British Museum in 1838. In 1822 Mantell and his wife first discovered the remains of a dinosaur at Tilgate Forest in the Cretaceous rocks of the English Weald. It was a large herbivorous reptile and was named Iguanodon by Mantell because its teeth resembled those of the modern iguana lizard. In 1831 Mantell introduced the concept of an 'Age of Reptiles'.

---

Size: 2994px × 3684px
Photo credit: © Science Photo Library / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: ., algernon, dinosaur, discoverer, geologist, gide, gideon, hunter, iguanodon, mantell, palaeontologist, portraits, surname