Mantell, Gideon Algernon

▪ British paleontologist

born Feb. 3, 1790, Lewes, Sussex, Eng.

died Nov. 10, 1852, London

 British physician, geologist, and paleontologist, who discovered four of the five genera of dinosaurs known during his time. Mantell studied the paleontology of the Mesozoic Era (about 245,000,000 to 66,400,000 years ago), particularly in Sussex, a region he made famous in the history of geological discovery. He demonstrated the freshwater origin of the Wealden series of the Cretaceous Period (about 144,000,000 to 66,400,000 years ago), and from them he brought to light and described the remarkable dinosaurian reptiles known as Iguanodon, Hylaeosaurus, Pelorosaurus, and Regnosaurus. He also described the Triassic (about 245,000,000 to 208,000,000 years old) reptile Telerpeton elginense. Mantell's major works include The Fossils of the South Downs, or Illustrations of the Geology of Sussex (1822) and Medals of Creation (1844).

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