The world that Nigersaurus roamed all those many many years in the past might are idyllic in certain means, nevertheless it wasn't without its several major dangers.
Because various rebbachisaurids inhabited latitudes that would are already tropical to subtropical in the center Cretaceous, this pneumaticity might have aided the animals cope with the incredibly large temperatures. According to Ibiricu and colleagues, this adaptation may be a motive why rebbachisaurids had been the one group of diplodocoids that survived into the Late Cretaceous.[21]
But a third sauropod, the South American Antarctosaurus, might or might not have already been a kissing cousin likewise.
But that’s not all for Nigersaurus. Chris took us all to the flat spot of purple-coloured sandstone wherever he had Positioned the upper jaw of the child Nigersaurus—a person that will fit on top of a silver greenback!
It absolutely was found while in the rich fossil vertebrate fauna in the Elrhaz Development in a place termed Gadoufaoua, from the Republic of Niger. Fossils of the dinosaur ended up initial described in 1976, but it was only named in 1999 soon after additional full continues to be had been observed and described.
In 1997, when paleontologist Paul Sereno initially started to unearth the remains of the dinosaur in Niger's Sahara Desert, he didn’t know what to think. He was excavating bones in the dry location known as Gadoufaoua, which experienced a rich fossil bed first discovered by French uranium miners.
As we’ve seen, Nigersaurus had a wide muzzle and diverse teeth correctly fitted to consuming lower-lying crops. This diet regime and Way of living would've essential the creature to have a continual source of replacement teeth, as it might have worn out its tooth crowns swiftly. A study printed inside the journal PLOS 1
One of the more exclusive functions of Nigersaurus was its rows of small, peg-like teeth, which had been arranged inside of a straight line alongside the entrance of its jaws. These teeth have been constantly replaced all through the dinosaur’s lifestyle, allowing it to feed consistently on difficult vegetation.
Paleontologist Paul Sereno described Nigersaurus as “the weirdest dinosaur I’ve at any time observed” when the dinosaur’s strange characteristics have been first discovered in 2007. The teeth were being notably noteworthy since they were arranged in dental batteries, which are typically located in beaked herbivores like Triceratops and Edmontosaurus, but are exceptional amongst sauropods.
Probably the most unique capabilities of Nigersaurus was its mouth, which was Geared up with a huge selection of modest, tightly packed teeth organized in rows. This authorized it to effectively crop and grind rough plant subject, which include ferns and horsetails.
The vast muzzle of Nigersaurus was likely an adaptation to its lower-lying herbivorous diet plan, allowing for it to simply scoop up and Acquire plant materials from the bottom.
The adductor muscle in the jaw appears to have attached to your quadrate as an alternative to the supratemporal fenestra. Equally this and the opposite mastication muscles ended up probably weak, and Nigersaurus is believed to possess had among the weakest bites with the sauropods.[three] On top of that, according to Whitlock and colleagues in 2011, the small, virtually parallel character of your tooth scratches and pits (because of grit, which would not be acquired as usually by significant-browsers) suggest that it ate somewhat smooth, herbaceous Nigersaurus vegetation like lower-escalating ferns.
Dental batteries are a unique adaptation present in some plant-feeding on dinosaurs that allowed them to competently method tough vegetation. These batteries encompass vertically stacked columns of teeth, Along with the top rated tooth in Each individual column being replaced because it wears out.
Limb content along with a scapula uncovered nearby had been also referred to exactly the same specimen. These fossils are housed on the National Museum of Niger.