“It’s something that genuinely takes the cake for astounding cranial adaptations In this particular group, the very long-necked dinosaurs,” says Sereno, a professor of paleontology on the College of Chicago. “It’s simply a majestic example of evolution.”
are grouped within the subfamily Nigersaurinae of the family Rebbachisauridae, which happens to be Element of the sauropod superfamily Diplodocoidea. Nigersaurus
A 2023 study with the French palaeontologist Rémi Lefebvre and colleagues examined the microanatomical composition in the limb bones of Nigersaurus by CT-scans, the first these kinds of analyze of a sauropod. Digital sections with the limb bones sampled from people of various sizes were explored to find out the range of variation. Weighty-weight bearing animals typically have capabilities linked to this issue, affecting the interior construction with the limb bones, but the variation involving these types of bones is badly regarded.
It really is believed that these sauropod dinosaurs collected foodstuff making use of their huge, wide mouths, much like grazing in modern cows. They'd very likely have already been “nonselective” in their food plan. two. Nigersaurus was on the list of initially dinosaurs to obtain a CT scan
There's been discussion on regardless of whether its head was habitually held downwards, or horizontally like other sauropods. It lived in a very riparian habitat, and its diet regime almost certainly consisted of soft plants, which include ferns, horsetails, and angiosperms. It can be Among the most widespread fossil vertebrates observed in the area, and shared its habitat with other dinosaurian megaherbivores, and significant theropods and crocodylomorphs.
Reconstructed skeleton of Nigersaurus, showcasing the dinosaur's distinctive 500-tooth jaw composition and elongated body.
French paleontologists identified the very first fossils of Nigersaurus from the Nigerian Sahara in the fifties. Even so, considering the fact that a lot of the bones have been both isolated or incomplete (due to their fragility), it absolutely was impossible to determine the species.
Nigersaurus also bears signs of lower-angle tooth-to-tooth have on on The within from the maxillary crowns, which indicates that jaw movement was limited to specific up-and-down motions. Worn teeth within the lower jaw have not yet been found, but They may be anticipated to indicate opposing tooth-to-tooth use. A chance to raise their heads nicely over the bottom won't automatically necessarily mean they browsed on things there, and the limited neck of Nigersaurus would've restricted the searching vary in comparison with other diplodocoids.[3]
Lifestyle restoration Nigersaurus was unique in that its dorsal (back) vertebrae had paired pneumatic spaces at the base in the neural spines (the spines that projected upwards with the vertebrae). The presacral vertebrae (vertebrae in front of the sacrum) were heavily pneumatised to The purpose wherever the column consisted of the number of hollow "shells", Each and every divided by a skinny septum in the middle. It experienced minimal to no cancellous bone, making the centra slender bone plates full of air spaces. The vertebral arches had been so heavily pierced by extensions with the external air sacs that of their facet partitions little remained but two mm (0.
And what a skeleton it was! The newfound fossils what dinosaur has 500 teeth gave us our first consider the dino's difficult dental batteries and vacuum cleaner mouth. Sereno named the species Nigersaurus taqueti — as an homage to French paleontologist Philippe Taquet — in 1999.
Regrettably, this has triggered misunderstandings and occasional misuse in on-line conversations. Whilst the attention has sparked curiosity with regard to the dinosaur, In addition, it underscores the necessity of cultural sensitivity and correct conversation when speaking about scientific discoveries.
The speedy tooth replacement suggests that it generally fed on delicate, abrasive plants, which would put on down its teeth speedily.
Nigersaurus didn't show a similar modifications viewed inside the jaws of other dinosaurs with dental batteries, or mammals with elaborate chewing functions. The reduced jaw was L-shaped and divided into your subcylindrical transverse ramus, which contained the teeth, plus the back again ramus, which was a lot more light-weight and was The placement for the vast majority of muscle attachments. It absolutely was unique in the tooth row expanded to the sides from the aircraft of the primary ramus of your decreased jaw.
Nigersaurus was in all probability a browser, and fed with its head close to the bottom. The location of its brain that detected odor was little, Even though its Mind size was akin to that of other dinosaurs. There have been debate on whether its head was habitually held downwards, or horizontally like other sauropods.