Nigersaurus
Nigersaurus (meaning “Niger reptile”) is a genus of Diplodocus-like sauropod dinosaur. It lived in the middle of the Cretaceous period in what is now the Republic of Niger. Fossils of this dinosaur were first described in 1976, but it was only named in 1999 after more complete remains were found and described.
Its skull was very different from Diplodocus, suggesting a different feeding method. It had many fenestrae (openings) and thin bones. It had a wide muzzle filled with more than 500 teeth. They were replaced often: about every 14 days the whole set were replaced together. The jaws may have had a keratinous sheath, something like a wide beak. Its jaws were wider than the skull, and its teeth were placed far to the front.
Nigersaurus was 9 m long, which is small for a sauropod, and had a short neck. It weighed around 4 tonnes, comparable to a modern elephant. Its skeleton was filled with air sacs, which lightened the weight. Its limbs were robustly built.
Nigersaurus was probably a browser, and fed with its head close to the ground. The region of its brain that detected smell was small, although its brain size was comparable to that of other dinosaurs. There has been debate on whether its head was habitually held downwards, or horizontally like other sauropods. It lived in a riparian habitat (near rivers). Its diet probably consisted of soft plants, such as ferns, horsetails, and angiosperms. It is one of the most common fossil vertebrates found in the area, and shared its habitat with other large herbivores, as well as large theropods and crocodylomorphs.
Written for younger readers
Nigersaurus, in simpler words
This version comes from Wikijunior, a set of books written for children aged 8 to 11. It is shorter and uses plainer language than the article above.
From Wikijunior: Dinosaurs
Nigersaurus taqueti, was a dinosaur that lived on earth 115 to 110 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period.
Nigersaurus taqueti was small for a dinosaur, and was only 9 meters (29 and a half feet) long.
This dinosaur was a herbivore, and consumed vast quantities of vegetation. Most of the vegetarian this dinosaur ate was close to the ground. This dinosaur had more than 500 teeth, which it regularly replaced every 14 days.
This dinosaur lived 115 to 110 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period.
This dinosaur lived in a Riparian zone, a floodplain near water.
This dinosaur was found in the Gadoufaoua region of the country of Niger, a desert region now famous for it’s dinosaur fossils. It was first discovered in 1976.
Where this page comes from
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