Source by: Matt Martyniuk
Did you know Google gets over 1.5 million searches about what dinosaur has 500 teeth? Here’s the answer: the dinosaur with 500 teeth is called the Nigersaurus.
The Nigersaurus was a long-necked dinosaur that’s known for sporting an unusually broad, straight-edged, muzzle-tipped mouth. In scientific terms, it’s a rebbachisaurid sauropod dinosaur.
There’s more to discover about the 500-toothed dinosaur than meets the eye. In this post, you’ll get to know when the Nigersaurus skull was discovered, its unique traits, and how to pronounce its name.
Sounds good? Let’s jump right in!
Fun Facts About The 500-Toothed Dinosaur Skulls
Source by: Steve Jurvetson
The first skulls of the Nigersaurus were discovered by paleontologist Philippe Taquet in West Africa’s Republic of Niger. He found the fossils during his expedition to the country from 1965 to 1972.
Here’s another fun fact. One of the first dinosaur skulls to have ever been digitally reconstructed by CT scans was the Nigersaurus species’. The original fossil skull was the specimen used for the scan. Cool right?
Now let’s take a closer look. The Nigersaurus had a small delicate skull. It’s so thin that light can even pass through it. You’ll also notice that the unusual skull has an extremely wide mouth lined with over 500 tiny teeth. Around 68 columns of teeth line the upper jaw and 60 columns line the lower jaw.
Source by: ArtStation
It’s this unusually broad, straight-edged, muzzle-tipped mouth and the tiny teeth crammed into the dinosaur’s jaw are what give the Nigersaurus its bizarre look. Paleontologist Paul Sereno even likened its appearance to a vacuum cleaner and Star Wars’ Darth Vader. But in spite of all the jokes, these are what help distinguish it from other dinosaurs.
Would you like to see lifelike dinosaurs? Though you can’t see the awesome Nigersaurus rendition by artist Handout, genius Google app lets you do that and more through its augmented reality technology. Simply download Google Search and enjoy. Or better yet, get your own lifelike dinosaur costume and live out your dino dreams in real life!
Clearing Up the Info About the Nigersaurus
Source by: Nobu Tamura
You might be surprised to find out that the Nigersaurus was a dinosaur that really existed if you first encountered the name through online forums. You may also have encountered the Nigersaurus’s name through search engine’s autofill suggestions. And possibly through memes like “ok dinosaur with 500 teeth” or “don’t google dinosaur with 500 teeth”.
To help you understand better, those are actually racial slurs. They’re also a sick stunt spread by people who are insensitive and lack dinosaur knowledge. They’re often used as jokes by sick reddit users to shock unsuspecting internet users by implying something about the Nigersaurus’ name.
We suggest to avoid making those insensitive jokes and avoid laughing about them too. There are better things everyone can give their attention to like watching football. Sick gag viewing on online forums isn’t worth anyone’s time and attention.
Another good idea you can try or suggest to friends is to study dinosaurs through a reputable dinosaur blog. Getting to know the prehistoric creatures will help one become a more informed person while having fun discovering new things.
The Nigersaurus' Unique Characteristics
Source by: Kabacchi
Remember how we said that there’s more to this dinosaur than meets the eye? In this section, you’ll get to know more awesome information that make the Nigersaurus fun to get to know.
Distinguishing Physical Features of the Dinosaur With 500 Teeth
Did you know the Nigersaurus can’t raise its head very high to get food despite being a long-necked dinosaur? It instead used its extremely wide mouth lined with slender teeth and cropped food just like a modern cow. The Nigersaurus’ was really more of a dinosaur that liked browsing plants close to the ground. This dinosaur doesn’t need to worry about wearing its chompers out while it feeds because replacement teeth grow every 14 days.
Another cool thing to note about the Nigersaurus is its mouth structure. It’s the only-known tetrapod animal with jaws that are broader than its skull.
Lastly, it’s a small long-necked dinosaur compared to other famous sauropods. The Nigersaurus was only 30 feet long and weighed around four tons. Its neck was also quite short with cervical vertebrae numbering to about 13 bones.
Here’s an interesting video at the National Geographic Museum where you can see a Nigersaurus skeleton being reconstructed for an exhibit by the Nat Geo Team and Paul Sereno.
Nigersaurus Habitat & Discovery
Source by: Fandom
The dinosaur with 500 teeth lived in a landlocked West African country during the mid-Cretaceous period 115-105 million years ago. The Nigersaurus lived in a lush environment alongside the predatory dinosaur suchomimus. It also shared the environment with these other plant-eaters: Ouranosaurus, Elrhazosaurus, and Lurdusaurus.. The Nigersaurus was also one of the species that were most abundant during its time.
Much of its prehistoric habitat was made of inland floodplains. But flash forward to today, Niger is now mostly desert land. The country’s sustained by one major body of water called the Niger River.
It’s from that river where the country and the Nigersaurus got their names. Paleontologist Paul Sereno gave the dinosaur the name Nigersaurus taqueti during the expeditions led by him in the Sahara Desert in 1999. More complete remains of the Nigersaurus were found in those expeditions.
The generic name Nigersaurus means “Niger reptile”, it’s in honor of the place where it was found. The specific name is in honor of paleontologist Philippe Taquet who was the first to organize large-scale expeditions to Niger.
How Do You Pronounce the Name of the Dinosaur That Has 500 Teeth?
Source by: Fandom
Nigersaurus is pronounced as “nee-zhayr-sawr-us” according to the National History Museum. The “g” in the name is pronounced like the letter “j”.
And that’s a wrap! How did you like this short post about the Nigersaurus? This quirky dinosaur would make a funny dinosaur puppet, don’t you think?
We hope you enjoyed learning more about the 500-toothed dinosaur! Stay tuned to our blog for more interesting articles like this one.
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