was possibly a browser, and fed with its head close to the ground. The location of its brain that detected smell was underdeveloped, although its brain sizing was comparable to that of other dinosaurs. There have been discussion on no matter whether its head was habitually held downwards, or horizontally like other sauropods.
Wedel and stated in 2016 that even though sauropods generally speaking could use their prolonged necks to detect predators from afar, This might not implement into the small-necked Nigersaurus. They identified which the eyes of Nigersaurus had been placed further more to the best of your skull than in many other sauropods, earlier mentioned the muzzle, which would give it overlapping fields of see. Its Visible discipline might have been at or close to 360 degrees, and hypersensitivity of motion might have been crucial that you a susceptible prey-animal.[twenty]
in 1999, right after additional and more total stays were being uncovered and explained. The genus identify means "Niger reptile", and the specific identify honours the French palaeontologist Philippe Taquet, who found out the 1st stays.
Fossils of the dinosaur were 1st explained in 1976, but it had been only named Nigersaurus taqueti in 1999, right after even more plus more finish stays were discovered and described. The genus title implies "Niger reptile", and the precise identify honours the palaeontologist Philippe Taquet, who discovered the initial remains.
This means that as 1 tooth wore down or broke off, An additional was willing to get its put. This rapid tooth alternative cycle, transpiring approximately each individual 14 times, ensured that Nigersaurus usually had functional teeth to system its food.
There has been discussion on no matter if its head was habitually held downwards, or horizontally like other sauropods. It lived inside a riparian habitat, and its diet probably consisted of sentimental vegetation, like ferns, horsetails, and angiosperms. It is actually Among the most prevalent fossil vertebrates located in the area, and shared its habitat with other dinosaurian megaherbivores, and substantial theropods and crocodylomorphs.
These teeth were specialised for proficiently cropping and grinding delicate, reduced-lying vegetation. The dinosaur’s teeth had been regularly replaced, with new kinds developing every single fourteen times to keep up operation.
All round, Nigersaurus was a novel and unusual dinosaur as a consequence of its dental batteries and vast muzzle, which authorized it to effectively system and Obtain plant substance. Its little sizing and herbivorous diet plan help it become an interesting contrast on the larger, carnivorous dinosaurs which have been much more generally regarded to most people.
When the 1st fossils of Nigersaurus have been uncovered in 1976, paleontologists couldn’t identify them what dinosaur has 500 teeth as a completely new species. It really is because the skeleton fossils have been incredibly hollow and distorted.
The genus Nigersaurus was formally named in 1999 by American paleontologist Paul Sereno and his crew, next the discovery of additional comprehensive remains that authorized for an in depth description in the species.
After the iguanodontian Lurdusaurus, Nigersaurus was one of the most many megaherbivore. Other herbivores in the exact formation include Ouranosaurus, Elrhazosaurus, and an unnamed titanosaur. Jointly, these compose one of several couple of associations of megaherbivores that has a stability of sauropods and large ornithopods.
The jaws could have borne a keratinous sheath. In contrast to other tetrapods, the tooth-bearing bones of its jaws were rotated transversely relative to the remainder of the cranium, so that all of its teeth were Found significantly on the front. Its skeleton was highly pneumatised (stuffed with air spaces connected to air sacs), however the limbs were being robustly created.
In 1997, when paleontologist Paul Sereno first started to unearth the remains of a dinosaur in Niger's Sahara Desert, he didn’t know what to Imagine. He was excavating bones within a dry region identified as Gadoufaoua, which had a abundant fossil bed initially learned by French uranium miners.
[13] Due to the lateral orientation in the teeth, it almost certainly would not happen to be in the position to chew.[one] Nigersaurus wore its tooth crowns down more quickly than other dinosaurian herbivores,[three] and its tooth substitution amount was the very best of any recognized dinosaur. Each tooth was changed once each individual fourteen days; the speed experienced Earlier been approximated reduced. In contrast to Nigersaurus, sauropods with decreased tooth alternative fees and broader tooth crowns are considered to are already canopy browsers.[12]