Nigersaurus and its closest relatives are grouped in the subfamily Rebbachisaurinae (previously considered grouped within the eponymous Nigersaurinae) with the relatives Rebbachisauridae, which is A part of the sauropod superfamily Diplodocoidea. Nigersaurus was possibly a browser, and fed with its head near the bottom. The location of its Mind that detected scent was underdeveloped, Even though its brain dimensions was corresponding to that of other dinosaurs.
Reconstructed skeleton of Nigersaurus, showcasing the dinosaur's exceptional 500-tooth jaw construction and elongated system.
The Air Obvious Nigersaurus stayed under the radar for quite a while. The initial acknowledged fossils belonging to this animal ended up recovered in the course of the nineteen fifties by French paleontologists inside the Nigerian Sahara. Regrettably, The majority of these bones had been isolated or fragmentary.
Its skull was extremely specialised for feeding. It had 4 massive side fenestrae, openings while in the skull and slim bones. It had a large muzzle crammed with greater than five hundred teeth, which were changed around just about every fourteen days. The jaws could possibly have had a keratinous sheath, a thing similar to a vast beak. Nigersaurus is the only real recognized tetrapod animal to have experienced jaws wider in comparison to the cranium and teeth that extended laterally across the entrance.
Named after the state of Niger, wherever its fossils ended up initial found. The identify was picked out to mirror its origins, having said that, the similarity in pronunciation into a racial slur has raised issues about cultural sensitivity and correct terminology.
This bizarre, extensive-necked dinosaur is characterised by its unusually broad, straight-edged muzzle tipped with much more than five hundred replaceable teeth. The initial fossil cranium of Nigersaurus is one of the to start with dinosaur skulls to generally be digitally reconstructed from CT scans.
It had been uncovered in the prosperous fossil vertebrate fauna with the Elrhaz Formation in a location referred to as Gadoufaoua, during the Republic of Niger. Fossils of this dinosaur were initially described in 1976, but it was only named in 1999 soon after more full continues to be had been uncovered and described.
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 on the tooth series.[one] Nigersaurus was unique in that its frontal bone (which formed much with the skull-roof) was elongate (much narrower than extensive), and had a marked cerebral fossa (a despair about the surface of the bone Within the head).[four] The maxillary tooth row was in its entirety transversely rotated, its typical rear 90° everted to the front. This was matched by A similar rotation on the dentary from the decreased jaw. This transverse orientation from the upper and decrease tooth rows was exceptional for the dinosaur. As a consequence of this configuration, no other tetrapod experienced all of its teeth located as considerably to your front as Nigersaurus.[three][4]
The adductor muscle of the jaw appears to get connected towards the quadrate rather than the supratemporal fenestra. The two this and another mastication muscles were being possible weak, and Nigersaurus is believed to own experienced one of several weakest bites with the sauropods.[3] Furthermore, In keeping with Whitlock and colleagues in 2011, the smaller, just about parallel nature on the tooth scratches and pits (brought on by grit, which would not be acquired as usually by large-browsers) reveal that it ate relatively tender, herbaceous crops which include small-rising ferns.
All told, these were being many of the most successful herbivores in the world, Sereno suggests. Nigersaurus lived about 110 million many years ago, over the Mesozoic Era, and also the species was close to for about one hundred fifty million a long time.
In 2020, the French palaeontologist Julien Benoit and colleagues tested lateral semicircular canal correlation to head posture on modern mammals, and found that when there was significant correlation in between the reconstructed and real head postures, the plane of your semicircular canal wasn't held horizontally from the resting pose as inferred.
It lived within a riparian habitat, and its eating plan probably consisted of soppy vegetation, which include ferns, horsetails, and angiosperms. It is actually Probably the most prevalent fossil vertebrates found in the area, and shared its habitat with other dinosaurian megaherbivores, along with massive theropods and crocodylomorphs.
The snout was also proportionately shorter, and also the tooth row was in no way prognathous, the snout tip not protruding relative to the remainder on the tooth collection.[1] Nigersaurus was unique in that its frontal bone (which formed Considerably of the skull-roof) was elongate (Substantially narrower than lengthy), and experienced a marked cerebral fossa (a despair about the floor of this bone In the head).[4] The maxillary tooth row was in its entirety what dinosaur has 500 teeth transversely rotated, its standard rear ninety° everted in the direction of the entrance. This was matched by A similar rotation with the dentary from the decrease jaw. This transverse orientation of your upper and decrease tooth rows was one of a kind towards the dinosaur. Resulting from this configuration, no other tetrapod experienced all of its teeth Situated as significantly to your front as Nigersaurus.[3][4]
In conclusion, Nigersaurus was a novel and appealing dinosaur that lived throughout the Late Cretaceous time period in what has become Niger. Its rows of little teeth and specialized jaw composition manufactured it properly-suited for browsing on lower-lying vegetation, and its fossils serve as a valuable supply of specifics of the variety of everyday living that existed in the world countless decades back.