Dinosaur fossils discovered before term was coined by Sir Richard Owen | Fact check

Kate S. Petersen, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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The claim: The first dinosaur fossil wasn't discovered until after the word 'dinosaur' was coined

A Dec. 26, 2023, Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows an image of Sir Richard Owen, an accomplished 19th-century anatomist credited with coining the term "dinosaur."

"Sir Richard Owen, who created the term dinosaur, wanted to prove evolution to be true,” reads text under the image. “He knew that many in the scientific community embraced the same goal. He was broke, and desperate to succeed. After his invention of the ‘dinosaur’ in 1842, amazingly, the first dinosaur discovery happened in 1858."

The image also includes text that reads "DINOHOAX" and "The GREATEST HOAX EVER SOLD."

The post garnered more than 700 likes in two weeks.

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Our rating: False

Dinosaur fossils were documented at least as early as 1824, years before Owen first used the term "Dinosaurs" in a published manuscript.

Owen coined term after dinosaur fossils discovered

In 1824, British naturalist William Buckland formally described the previously excavated fossilized remains of the Jurassic-era dinosaur, Megalosaurus, according to The Natural History Museum. Two more dinosaurs − Iguanadon and Hylaeosaurus − were described shortly thereafter in 1825 and 1833, respectively.

After studying these fossils, Owen ultimately concluded that they belonged to a distinct group of animals. He formally described the group as "Dinosaurs" and "Dinosauria" in a manuscript that was officially published in the early 1840s, Hugh Torrens, a historian of geology, wrote in "The Complete Dinosaur."

While early 19th-century fossil discoveries informed Owen's breakthrough, dinosaur fossils had been discovered even earlier, Kevin Padian, a paleontologist and professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkley, told USA TODAY. They just weren't called "dinosaurs" until Owen coined the term, he said.

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Since Megalosaurus was documented, hundreds of additional species of dinosaurs have been described, according to the American Museum of Natural History. Dinosaur fossils, eggs, footprints and other remains are publicly displayed in museums around the world.

Dinosaur tracks can also still be found in natural settings.

USA TODAY reached out to the Instagram user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

The Associated Press also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dinosaur fossils predate use of the word 'dinosaur' | Fact check