Nigersaurus is put in the group of sauropods in which all of the long-necked and long-tailed dinosaurs are put. Nigersaurus was in all probability one of several smallest sauropods since its neck was quick. An Grownup Nigersaurus weighed all over four tons and its dimensions was similar to a modern Elephant.
Dinosaur-hunters are accustomed to acquiring dental batteries in beaked herbivores much like the horned Triceratops and shovel-billed Edmontosaurus. However they're uncommon One of the sauropods.
It more argued the orientation of the semicircular canals may differ significantly within just present day species, and is also hence not trustworthy for pinpointing head posture.[23] This was supported with the Spanish palaeontologist Jesús Marugán-Lobón and colleagues within a 2013 study that recommended the methods used by Sereno's group have been imprecise, and that Nigersaurus habitually held its head like other sauropods.[24]
There was discussion on no matter whether its head was habitually held downwards, or horizontally like other sauropods. It lived in a riparian habitat, and its food plan probably consisted of soft crops, like ferns, horsetails, and angiosperms. It is Among the most common fossil vertebrates observed in the region, and shared its habitat with other dinosaurian megaherbivores, together with huge theropods and crocodylomorphs.
On the basis of microtomography scans of cranium components in the holotype specimen, Sereno and colleagues made a "prototype" Nigersaurus skull they may study. Additionally they created an endocast in the Mind and scanned the semicircular canals of its internal ear, which they located to become oriented horizontally. In their 2007 study, they stated that the structure with the occiput behind the cranium and cervical vertebrae would have limited the upward and downward motion on the neck as well as the rotation of your skull.
This intriguing variation showcases the assorted tactics dinosaurs created to thrive in their environments. The Nigersaurus’s speedy tooth alternative, occurring every fourteen times, is additionally impressive, placing it other than other sauropods that had slower tooth turnover.
In 2019, Mannion and colleagues pointed out that considering the fact that Nigersaurus was discovered being the sister taxon of all other nigersaurines in a few scientific studies, a Rebbachisaurinae clade might not necessarily involve Nigersaurus by itself (in addition to the proven fact that the situation of Rebbachisaurus could change in foreseeable future analyses), and supported the continued use in the title Nigersaurinae more than Rebbachisaurinae for all rebbachisaurids much more intently connected with Nigersaurus than to Limaysaurus.
The Nigersaurus was a floor-amount browser. Its wide muzzle, coupled with its quite a few teeth, permitted it to absorb significant amounts of vegetation in one bite. The orientation of its teeth, all positioned in the front of its jaws, enabled it to efficiently crop what dinosaur has 500 teeth and Assemble food stuff near to the ground.
However, this assert has become contested by other scientists who believe Nigersaurus was likely far more common of other sauropods.
All advised, these ended up several of the most prosperous herbivores in the world, Sereno suggests. Nigersaurus lived about a hundred and ten million several years ago, during the Mesozoic Period, and the species was about for about 150 million a long time.
Its exceptional dental composition implies that it could possibly have had a different feeding technique in comparison with other sauropods, and its presence in Africa implies that these kinds of dinosaurs were extra common than Formerly thought.
Nigersaurus desired to reside in regions acquiring h2o Lakes or streams close by; the realm is also referred to as the riparian zone. As a consequence of plentiful drinking water, a riparian zone has plenty of minimal-lying vegetation. Riparian zones supply Nigersaurus with several sorts of vegetation.
The sauropod dinosaur Nigersaurus probable progressed its strangely-shaped head to raised mow prehistoric lawns.
The sauropod's jaw appears to be like Just about like a significant nail clipper, with large rows of a huge selection of teeth on its upper and reduce jaws. It Practically didn’t seem to suit into its cranium when Sereno was endeavoring to piece it together.