The Delicate Muzzle Dinosaur
Nigersaurus was a unique, long-necked dinosaur that lived around 110 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period.
| Meaning | Niger lizard [Niger-saurus] |
| Pronunciation | NYE-jer-sore-us |
| When: | Early Cretaceous (about 115–105 million years ago) |
| Where: | Africa (Niger) |
| What: | Sauropod (rebbachisaurid, herbivorous) |
| Weight: | Estimated around 4 metric tons |
| Length: | Approximately 9 meters (30 feet) |
| Diet: | Herbivorous (ate low-lying plants) |
| Discovered: | First described by Paul Sereno and colleagues in 1999 |
Discovered in the Sahara Desert in what is now Niger, Africa, this fascinating creature had a wide, vacuum cleaner-like mouth with over 500 tiny teeth.
These teeth were perfectly suited for grazing on soft plants close to the ground.
Nigersaurus was about 9 meters (30 feet) long and had a lightweight, delicate skull despite its impressive dental arrangement.