Nigersaurus was named once the West African place the place its fossils are observed: The Republic of Niger. Again when this animal roamed, forests and braided rivers protected the landscape. (Nigersaurus would've needed to Be careful for Sarcosuchus, a tremendous relative of contemporary crocodiles.)

The nickname "dinosaur with five hundred teeth" originates from Nigersaurus's distinct dental battery. Its jaw held approximately 500 slender teeth, organized in tightly packed rows, and these teeth were being continually replaced through its life.

All round, Nigersaurus was a unique and weird dinosaur resulting from its dental batteries and large muzzle, which authorized it to effectively system and Acquire plant substance. Its smaller dimension and herbivorous eating plan help it become a fascinating distinction to your larger sized, carnivorous dinosaurs which have been additional normally regarded to most people.

Nigersaurus lived a hundred and ten million several years ago in what has become Niger, West Africa. Even though the fossils had been found in the Sahara Desert, when Nigersaurus lived the region was a floodplain with huge rivers, conifer forests and lush vegetation.

8 ft) in duration and weighing about two tons. Regardless of its compact dimensions in comparison with other sauropods, it attained awareness as a result of its unique anatomy, which include a wide muzzle resembling a vacuum cleaner and dental batteries consisting of many tiny, needle-formed teeth arranged in columns.

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The Nigersaurus, with its five hundred teeth, showcases the marvels of evolution. Its specialised dental anatomy, personalized to its surroundings and food plan, serves to be a testament to your adaptability and variety of prehistoric existence.

Nigersaurus also bears signs of very low-angle tooth-to-tooth have on on The within with the maxillary crowns, which implies that jaw motion was limited to precise up-and-down motions. Worn teeth from the decreased jaw haven't nonetheless been uncovered, but They're anticipated to indicate opposing tooth-to-tooth use. A chance to elevate their heads well above the bottom doesn't always suggest they browsed on goods there, along with the small neck of Nigersaurus would have restricted the browsing assortment in comparison to other diplodocoids.[3]

In 2019, Mannion and colleagues identified that given that Nigersaurus was located to get the sister taxon of all other nigersaurines in some reports, a Rebbachisaurinae clade may not automatically consist of Nigersaurus by itself (along with the incontrovertible fact that the placement of Rebbachisaurus could alter in foreseeable future analyses), and supported the continued use on the name Nigersaurinae in excess of Rebbachisaurinae for all rebbachisaurids more carefully related to Nigersaurus than to Limaysaurus.

Considering that numerous rebbachisaurids inhabited latitudes that may have already been tropical to subtropical in the Middle Cretaceous, this pneumaticity what dinosaur has 500 teeth may have served the animals cope While using the really large temperatures. In line with Ibiricu and colleagues, this adaptation could be a cause why rebbachisaurids had been the only group of diplodocoids that survived into the Late Cretaceous.[21]

It was a quadrupedal dinosaur, this means that it walked on all fours. Nonetheless, its legs were fairly brief compared to its physique. It is assumed to are already proficient at rearing up on its hind legs to be able to access better amounts of vegetation.

This Nigersaurus was a hatchling, most likely fewer than just one yr from hatching when it died and was fossilized.

Even though the nasal bones are not totally recognized, it seems the entrance margin of the bony nostril was nearer on the snout than in other diplodocoids. The snout was also proportionately shorter, as well as the tooth row was under no circumstances prognathous, the snout tip not protruding relative to the rest of your tooth sequence. The maxillary tooth row was in its entirety transversely rotated, its normal rear ninety° everted to the front. This was matched by The same rotation from the dentary on the lower jaw. Therefore, no other tetrapod experienced all of its teeth Situated as considerably towards the front as 

Applying proof from CT scans and 3D/Personal computer modeling, researchers have determined that the sauropod possible habitually held its head downwards, toward the ground — While This can be hotly debated.