That large muzzle with its Nigersaurus teeth was perfect for scooping up ferns, horsetails and various reduced-lying vegetation. And Together with the bountiful teeth, the dinosaur would've experienced no issues shearing via this vegetation.

Nigersaurus (/niːˈʒɛərsɔːrəs, ˈnaɪdʒərsɔːrəs/) can be a genus of rebbachisaurid sauropod dinosaur that lived in the course of the center Cretaceous interval, about one hundred fifteen to one hundred and five million yrs in the past. It had been discovered from the Elrhaz Formation in a place referred to as Gadoufaoua, in Niger.

What Many individuals You should not know is that Paul Sereno didn't truly find out this dinosaur; the scattered continues to be of Nigersaurus (in northern Africa's Elrhaz development, in Niger ) had been described by a French paleontologist within the late 1960's and launched to the world within a paper revealed in 1976. Sereno did, on the other hand, have the honour of naming this dinosaur (following learning added fossil specimens) and publicizing it to the globe at significant.

Nigersaurus also bears indications of small-angle tooth-to-tooth have on on the inside in the maxillary crowns, which implies that jaw motion was restricted to exact up-and-down motions. Worn teeth from the reduced jaw haven't however been uncovered, but they are predicted to point out opposing tooth-to-tooth don. The ability to elevate their heads nicely above the ground will not automatically imply they browsed on goods there, and the shorter neck of Nigersaurus would have restricted the browsing selection when compared with other diplodocoids.[three]

Teeth at unique growth levels, Museo di Storia Naturale di Venezia The slender teeth had a bit curved tooth crowns, which were oval in cross-part. The crowns have been distinct in owning distinguished ridges within the margins of their midline and sides. The teeth inside the lessen jaw may possibly are already 20–30% smaller than All those within the higher jaw, but number of are recognized, and they're of unsure maturity. Besides this, the teeth were being similar.[4] Below Just about every active tooth there was a column of nine substitution teeth in 500 teeth dinosaur the jaw.

Reconstructed skeleton of Nigersaurus, showcasing the dinosaur's special five hundred-tooth jaw framework and elongated system.

Because of this as a person tooth wore down or broke off, An additional was wanting to consider its spot. This immediate tooth alternative cycle, developing roughly every single fourteen days, ensured that Nigersaurus normally had practical teeth to procedure its food items.

Nigersaurus also bears indications of low-angle tooth-to-tooth put on on The within of your maxillary crowns, which suggests that jaw movement was limited to precise up-and-down motions. Worn teeth from your decreased jaw haven't but been found, but They are really envisioned to show opposing tooth-to-tooth have on. The opportunity to elevate their heads very well higher than the bottom doesn't necessarily signify they browsed on merchandise there, and the brief neck of Nigersaurus would have restricted the browsing array compared to other diplodocoids.[3]

In 2019, Mannion and colleagues identified that considering the fact that Nigersaurus was located to get the sister taxon of all other nigersaurines in certain reports, a Rebbachisaurinae clade may not automatically involve Nigersaurus by itself (and also the undeniable fact that the posture of Rebbachisaurus could modify in upcoming analyses), and supported the continued use on the identify Nigersaurinae above Rebbachisaurinae for all rebbachisaurids more carefully related to Nigersaurus than to Limaysaurus.

1 for one of the most distinct features from the Nigersaurus was its teeth. It's five hundred teeth! They had been peg-like and adapted for grazing on vegetation.

Its feeding design continues to be compared to that of contemporary grazing animals or even a vacuum cleaner, because it possible swept its head aspect-to-side while consuming vegetation.

The constrained comprehension of the genus was the results of weak preservation of its remains, which arises with the fragile and highly pneumatic building (filled with air spaces connected to air sacs) in the skull and skeleton, consequently creating disarticulation on the fossils. Several of the skull fossils have been so skinny that a robust gentle beam was seen by them. Hence, no intact skulls or articulated skeletons happen to be identified, and these specimens signify one of the most finish regarded rebbachisaurid continues to be.[3][1]

All informed, these had been a few of the most effective herbivores on the planet, Sereno claims. Nigersaurus lived about one hundred ten million a long time in the past, in the course of the Mesozoic Period, and the species was all-around for approximately a hundred and fifty million yrs.

In 2017, the Argentinian palaeontologist Lucio M. Ibiricu and colleagues examined the postcranial skeletal pneumaticity within the skeletons of rebbachisaurids, and suggested that it absolutely was an adaptation for decreasing the density with the skeleton, and this could have reduced the muscle mass Power necessary to move the human body, and also the warmth produced in the procedure.