Nigersaurus

Nigersaurus taqueti

Nigersaurus had the widest mouth of any sauropod, with over 500 teeth arranged in up to 68 columns that were continuously replaced. Its skull was oriented straight down, suggesting it was a ground-level browser like a living vacuum cleaner.

Physical Description

Measurement	Value	Human Scale
Comprimento	9.0 m	roughly the length of a large SUV
Height	2.0 m	—
Peso	4.0 t	comparable to 4.0 small cars

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Nigersaurus was a plant-eating dinosaur. Herbivores typically fed on ferns, cycads, conifers, and other vegetation available during their era. Many herbivorous dinosaurs developed specialized teeth and digestive systems for processing tough plant material.

Time Period

Cretaceous Early Mesozoic Era

Nigersaurus lived during the Cretaceous Early period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 145,0 to 100,5 million years ago.

The Cretaceous saw continued dinosaur evolution with the rise of ornithopods and early ceratopsians. Flowering plants first appeared and began to transform terrestrial ecosystems. Spinosaurus and other large theropods lived during this time.

Discovery & Naming

Nomeado por	Paul Sereno et al.
Ano de descoberta	1999
Local de descoberta	Elrhaz Formation, Niger

Classificação

Dinosauria → Saurischia → Sauropodomorpha → Sauropoda → Nigersaurus

Lizard feet

The giant long-necked herbivores, reaching lengths over 30 meters and weights exceeding 70 tonnes. They dominated terrestrial ecosystems for over 100 million years.

Size Comparison

At 9,0 meters long and 4000,0 kg, Nigersaurus was roughly the length of a large SUV and comparable to 4.0 small cars.

Other dinosaurs from the same period:

Mandschurosaurus Byakudansauropus Agustinia ligabuei Mantellisaurus Calamosaurus foxi Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis

Quick Facts

Classificação	Sauropoda
Período geológico	Cretaceous Early
Dieta	Herbivore
Tamanho	9.0m long, 2.0m tall, 4.0t

Dinossauros relacionados

Argentinosaurus Cretaceous Late

Brachiosaurus Jurassic Late

Diplodocus Jurassic Late

Apatosaurus Jurassic Late

Amargasaurus Cretaceous Early

Perguntas frequentes

When did Nigersaurus live?

Nigersaurus lived during the Cretaceous Early period (Mesozoic Era, 145.0–100.5 million years ago).

What did Nigersaurus eat?

Nigersaurus was a herbivore.

How big was Nigersaurus?

Nigersaurus was approximately 9.0 meters long, 2.0 meters tall, weighed around 4.0 tonnes.

When was Nigersaurus discovered?

Nigersaurus was first described in 1999 by Paul Sereno et al., with fossils found in Elrhaz Formation, Niger.

What type of dinosaur was Nigersaurus?

Nigersaurus belonged to the Sauropoda group, which is part of the larger Sauropodomorpha clade.

Where were Nigersaurus fossils found?

Fossils of Nigersaurus were found in Elrhaz Formation, Niger.

What is the scientific name of Nigersaurus?

The scientific name of Nigersaurus is Nigersaurus taqueti.

Compare with Similar Dinosaurs

Nigersaurus vs Argentinosaurus Nigersaurus vs Brachiosaurus Nigersaurus vs Diplodocus

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Cretaceous Early

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