After the Reddit meme “don’t research the internet with what dinosaur has 500 teeth” went popular, the Nigersaurus became a viral internet meme craze. A simple google auto-suggestion frequently triggers strange events that pique public interest in a particular topic or issue. The same can be said for the Nigersaurus. This predatory dinosaur lived 115 million years ago in Niger, a small West African country. So, how did this one-of-a-kind dinosaur look back in the day? How did it come to be known? So, here’s a quick primer on the fabled “500-toothed dinosaur.”
Discovery
In a research report published in 1976, Phillippe Taquet first mentioned Nigersaurus. During a trip to the Republic of Niger from 1965 to 1972, this French palaeontologist discovered the remains. However, because the skeleton was incomplete, the finding was generally overlooked.
In 1999, Paul Sereno, a Chicago University palaeontologist, led an excursion to the Elrahz Formation in Gadoyfaoua, Niger. He discovered the carnivorous dinosaur’s skeleton in its entirety. In 2007, Sereno and his colleague Jeffrey A. Wilson published another study on the Nigersaurus skull and feeding habits. In addition, he gave the National Geographic Society in Washington a complete plastic model of the dinosaur’s head.
Unusual dinosaur with 500 teeth
It’s been an incredible first week on the field! Every dune appears to hold a surprise for us. The long-necked dinosaur Nigersaurus was discovered on our first day. We called Nigersaurus after bones were found here three years ago. This sauropod’s (long-necked dinosaur’s) head is remarkable, with up to 500 thin teeth. One of the expedition’s main objectives is to locate the rest of this strange dinosaur so that we may describe and reconstruct it for all to see.
We’re getting close to achieving that goal, as we discovered a skeleton just a few days later! The tail of this skeleton is curled upward as it lies on its side. The backbone curve is approximately 15 feet long. We constructed tunnels between the major parts of the skeleton and meticulously wiped sand off the 110 million-year-old bones. We’ll soon plaster each region so the skeleton may be carried from the field to the lab.
Nigersaurus, though, isn’t done yet. Chris led us all to a flat section of purple-coloured sandstone where he had discovered the upper jaw of a young Nigersaurus—the size of a silver dollar! When this Nigersaurus died and was petrified, it was a hatchling that was probably less than a year old.
A new type of carnivore has been discovered.
Gabe discovered the bones of a new meat-eating dinosaur partially exposed at her feet while travelling over a level terrain. She dusted the sand from her top jaw with her hand. Parts of the backbone and hip bones were located nearby. The bones are from a skeleton that would be roughly 30 feet long, so this was a nasty client! As the field season progresses, we hope to find more evidence of this savage beast.
The crocodile is enormous.
More than only dinosaurs pique our attention. We’re looking for any creatures or plants that lived 110 million years ago along the old streams and woodlands. One of the most prevalent fossils we came across during our first week on the job belonged to Sarcosuchus, a massive crocodile.
Any extant crocodile was dwarfed by this animal. We estimate it to have been over 40 feet long based on the 6-foot skull we discovered in the first week! A foot across were the armour plates on its back. We even set out the entire crew to get a feel of the beast’s size.
Hans has started excavating a new site with a staff consisting of Allison and Dave. We discovered another juvenile skull of the same species just next to the huge one while digging around the big one. They carved a block of rock with both skulls on it, knowing full well that it would weigh roughly 600 pounds once plastered.
What is the significance of the title?
Because of its unusual name, Nigersaurus has been a source of online jokes. However, a closer examination reveals that the term is a scientific method of naming dinosaurs. Under the genus “Nigersaurus,” this dinosaur is known as Nigersaurus taqueti, which means “Niger reptile” or “Niger reptile” (republic of niger).
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How many teeth did it have?
Technically, it worked. The skull of Nigersaurus had 500 thin teeth. All of these teeth, however, were temporary. Nigersaurus possessed a total of 500 teeth, both permanent and replacement.
How did this 500-toothed dinosaur appear?
Nigersaurus is a Sauropod-like creature. It used to have a smaller skull and tail, much like any other dinosaur. It stood just 9 metres tall and had a 1 metre femur. They must have weighed four tonnes, according to palaeontologists. As a result, a Nigersaurus could have been the same size and weight as a modern elephant. It has a short neck and only thirteen cervical vertebrae because of its body structure.