He found out many fossils from Elrhaz formations in Niger. Among the Those people fossils, he observed fossils of a completely new dinosaur species that is referred to as Nigersaurus (“Niger Reptile”). He in conjunction with other paleontologists collected many bony portions of Nigersaurus separately and assembled a rough skeleton.
By way of a painstaking course of action, this team was capable of reconstruct The within of Nigersaurus' cranium. That gave them a superb think about the lateral semicircular canal (LSC) in the interior ear, which allows animals retain their equilibrium.
Nigersaurus lived in what has become the Sahara Desert over the mid-Cretaceous interval, somewhere around one hundred fifteen to a hundred and five million several years in the past, within a lush, riverine habitat with abundant flowers.
The Nigersaurus roamed the lush landscapes of the center Cretaceous interval, in what has become the Sahara Desert of Niger. This region, once teeming with existence, presented a rich tapestry of soft, leafy vegetation which was ideal for the Nigersaurus’s specialized diet.
Because of this as a person tooth wore down or broke off, Yet another was able to take its place. This fast tooth substitute cycle, happening about every single fourteen days, ensured that Nigersaurus constantly experienced useful teeth to system its food.
Even with its more compact dimensions, Nigersaurus is notable for its special adaptations, particularly its specialised teeth and feeding mechanisms, which distinguish it in paleontological studies.
It was found during the wealthy fossil vertebrate fauna with the Elrhaz Formation in an area called Gadoufaoua, while in the Republic of Niger. Fossils of the dinosaur have been initial described in 1976, but it absolutely was only named in 1999 right after additional finish remains had been observed and described.
Hans has actually been dealing with a crew of Allison and Dave to excavate a fresh site. As we dug throughout the what dinosaur has 500 teeth cranium, we uncovered A further juvenile skull of the same species lying suitable next to the big just one.
Nigersaurus's downward-dealing with mouth and vast dental arrangement propose it grazed on floor-level crops as opposed to searching large vegetation.
Nigersaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaurs that lived close to a hundred and fifteen to a hundred and five million yrs in the past over the Early to Mid-Cretaceous time period. It belonged for the rebbachisaurids, a subgroup of Diplodocoidea, a clade of long-necked, herbivorous dinosaurs.
These well known dinosaur reconstructions from your sixties are not scientifically exact. Can you see the faults?
This strange, extended-necked dinosaur is characterized by its unusually wide, straight-edged muzzle tipped with over five hundred replaceable teeth. The initial fossil skull of Nigersaurus
Nevertheless, as described, Nigersaurus had a constant supply of recent teeth as they had been changed if the top tooth inside of a column wore out.
Diplodocus cranium for comparison Its cranium was quite diverse from Diplodocus, suggesting a distinct feeding strategy. It had several fenestrae (openings) and skinny bones. It had a wide muzzle crammed with much more than five hundred teeth.