DinoDex
Medium-sized sauropod with a short neck and a broad square muzzle, in side view
Life reconstruction of Nigersaurus taqueti, a low-browsing sauropod from the Elrhaz Formation of Niger.Image credit: TotalDino, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY 4.0Source (opens in a new tab)

Nigersaurus taqueti

Pronounced nee-ZHER-sore-us tah-KET-eye

Sauropoda · Rebbachisauridae

A small rebbachisaurid sauropod from the Early Cretaceous of Niger with a broad, straight-edged muzzle packed with hundreds of teeth that were replaced very quickly: a Cretaceous lawnmower.

  • Quadrupedal
  • Long necked
  • Unusual anatomy
Compare
Period
Cretaceous· Aptian
Diet
Herbivore
Length
9 m
Mass
1,900–4,000 kg
Location
Agadez Region, Niger

Quick answers

How big was Nigersaurus taqueti?
Nigersaurus taqueti was about 9 m long. It stood about 1.6–2 m tall at the hips. It weighed about 1.9–4 t. (Sereno et al. 1999; Sereno et al. 2007)
When did Nigersaurus taqueti live?
Nigersaurus taqueti lived during the Early Cretaceous, about 121.4–100.5 million years ago. (Cohen et al. 2023; Sereno et al. 1999)
Where have Nigersaurus taqueti fossils been found?
Fossils of Nigersaurus taqueti have been found in Elrhaz Formation (Agadez Region) and Niger. (Sereno et al. 1999; Sereno et al. 2007)
What did Nigersaurus taqueti eat?
Nigersaurus taqueti was a herbivore. (Sereno et al. 1999; Sereno et al. 2007)
Who named Nigersaurus taqueti, and when?
Nigersaurus taqueti was described by Paul C. Sereno et al. in 1999. (Sereno et al. 1999; Sereno et al. 2007)

On this page

nee-ZHER-sore-us tah-KET-eye

Period
Cretaceous121.4–100.5 Ma
Diet
Herbivore
Length
9 m
Mass
1.9–4 t
Location
Niger
Classification
Sauropoda · Rebbachisauridae
Described
1999, Paul C. Sereno et al.

Overview

Nigersaurus taqueti lived in what is now the Sahara of Niger in the Early Cretaceous, when the region was a land of rivers and floodplains. French expeditions led by Philippe Taquet found its first bones in the 1960s and 1970s at Gadoufaoua; Paul Sereno's team collected better material in the 1990s and named it in 1999.

For a sauropod it was small, about 9 m long. Its skull was extremely light, with paper-thin bones, and its jaws ended in a wide, straight muzzle lined with more than 500 teeth in columns, each replaced every few weeks. Sereno et al. (2007) argued it grazed close to the ground.

Many of these interpretations are debated: the head posture reconstructed from its inner ear, and the exact tooth replacement rate, which D'Emic et al. (2013) estimated from growth lines in the teeth.

Name meaning

"Niger lizard"; taqueti honours French paleontologist Philippe Taquet, who led the first expeditions to its site (Sereno et al. 1999).

Biology & evidence

What scientists think about how this animal lived, and how strong the evidence for each idea is.

Feeding

  • Nigersaurus grazed close to the ground.

    Evidence level: Moderate evidence

    Its wide, straight muzzle and fast-wearing teeth suit cropping low plants such as ferns or horsetails. A downward head posture was reconstructed from the inner ear, but that method is debated.

    Evidence for / against · 2
    Evidence for

    • Specimen · Nigersaurus tooth batteries

      Jaws with a straight front edge lined with columns of replacement teeth, more than 500 teeth in all.

      Specimen: MNN GAD512

    • Comparative anatomy · Nigersaurus inner ear and head posture

      CT scans of the inner ear, used to reconstruct the habitual head posture as pointing down.

      Specimen: MNN GAD512

Teeth

  • Nigersaurus replaced its teeth faster than any other known dinosaur.

    Evidence level: Strong evidence

    Each tooth position held a column of up to ten replacement teeth, and growth lines show a new tooth came into use every few weeks.

    Evidence for / against · 2
    Evidence for

    • Specimen · Nigersaurus tooth batteries

      Jaws with a straight front edge lined with columns of replacement teeth, more than 500 teeth in all.

      Specimen: MNN GAD512

    • Histology · Nigersaurus tooth growth lines

      Daily growth lines in the teeth used to calculate how often each tooth was replaced.

Other

  • Nigersaurus had an extremely light skeleton full of air spaces.

    Evidence level: Direct evidence

    Its skull bones are thin enough to see light through and its vertebrae are hollowed by air sacs, observed directly in the fossils.

    Evidence for / against · 1
    Evidence for

    • Specimen · Nigersaurus air-filled skeleton

      Very thin skull bones and vertebrae hollowed by air sacs, making the skeleton exceptionally light.

      Specimen: MNN GAD512

Dental battery of Nigersaurus reconstructed from CT scans, showing the rows of replacement teeth across its wide muzzle (Sereno et al. 2007).Image credit: Sereno et al http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0001230, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY 2.5Source (opens in a new tab)

Size

Length
9 m

(29.5 ft)

Height
1.8 mpublished range 1.6–2 m

(5.9 ft)

Based on MNN GAD512 and referred material

Mass
1,900–4,000 kg
Nigersaurus taqueti was about 9 m (29.5 ft) long, roughly 5 times the height of a 1.8 m adult human.

Timeline

Lived from about 121.4 to 100.5 million years ago (Ma), within the Mesozoic era (252–66 Ma).

Periods: Aptian (121.4–113 Ma), Albian (113–100.5 Ma), Early Cretaceous (145–100.5 Ma)

Ages are the ICS 2023/09 bounds of the Aptian and Albian, the stage(s) the fossils are assigned to; they bracket the record and are not dated first/last appearances. The Elrhaz Formation is usually cited as about 115-105 Ma.

Location

Formations

Map data: Natural Earth (public domain). Modern positions, not where the continents were then.

These are the places where fossils have been found, not the full area where the animal lived.

Ecosystem

Elrhaz Formation scene with a Nigersaurus herd and two spinosaurids fishing.Image credit: Андрей Белов, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY 3.0Source (opens in a new tab)

Lived in: Elrhaz (Gadoufaoua)

115–105 million years ago · river system, floodplain, swamp / wetland

Early Cretaceous rivers and swampy floodplains in what is now the Ténéré desert of Niger, with abundant crocodyliforms and fish.

Same ecosystem

Suchomimus tenerensis

Cretaceous· AptianPiscivoreCarnivore

Classification

  1. cladeDinosauria
  2. cladeSaurischia
  3. cladeSauropodomorpha
  4. cladeSauropoda
  5. superfamilyDiplodocoidea
  6. familyRebbachisauridae
  7. genusNigersaurus
  8. speciesNigersaurus taqueti

Taxonomic status: Valid

Fossil record

Cast of the Nigersaurus taqueti skull MNN GAD512 on display at the Royal Ontario Museum.Image credit: CaptMondo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (unmodified except resizing), Royal Ontario MuseumCC BY-SA 3.0 (unmodified)Source (opens in a new tab)
Specimens
Catalog numberStatusInstitutionFound
MNN GAD512HolotypeMusée National Boubou Hama (MNN)—

What has been found

Holotype: MNN GAD512

  • Preserved
  • Partial
  • Reconstructed
  • Unknown / not recorded
Region by region (table)
Skeleton regions of Holotype: MNN GAD512
RegionState
SkullPartial
MandiblePreserved
TeethPreserved
Cervical vertebraePartial
Dorsal vertebraeUnknown / not recorded
SacrumUnknown / not recorded
Caudal vertebraeUnknown / not recorded
RibsUnknown / not recorded
GastraliaUnknown / not recorded
Scapula / shoulder girdleUnknown / not recorded
HumerusUnknown / not recorded
Forearm (radius / ulna)Unknown / not recorded
Hand (manus)Unknown / not recorded
PelvisUnknown / not recorded
FemurUnknown / not recorded
Tibia / fibulaUnknown / not recorded
Foot (pes)Unknown / not recorded
Skeletal reconstruction of Nigersaurus taqueti with preserved bones and vertebrae in detail (Sereno et al. 2007).Image credit: Carol Abraczinskas, Paul C. Sereno et al., CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY 2.5Source (opens in a new tab)

All specimens

Discovery

Year described
1999
Described by
Paul C. Sereno et al.
Type specimen
MNN GAD512

Discovery timeline

  1. 1965 · First material found

    Taquet's expeditions find the first Nigersaurus bones

    French expeditions led by Philippe Taquet collect sauropod remains at Gadoufaoua (1965-1972).

    People: Philippe Taquet

  2. 1999 · Formally described

    Sereno et al. name Nigersaurus taqueti

    Named in a paper on Cretaceous sauropods of the Sahara.

    People: Paul C. Sereno

  3. 2007 · Major study

    Skull of Nigersaurus reconstructed

    CT scans reveal the extreme skull and tooth batteries.

    People: Paul C. Sereno

Sources

  1. Cohen, K. M., Harper, D. A. T., Gibbard, P. L. & Car, N. (2023). International Chronostratigraphic Chart (v2023/09). International Commission on Stratigraphy. https://stratigraphy.org/ICSchart/ChronostratChart2023-09.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  2. D'Emic, M. D., Whitlock, J. A., Smith, K. M., Fisher, D. C. & Wilson, J. A. (2013). Evolution of high tooth replacement rates in sauropod dinosaurs. PLoS ONE 8(7): e69235. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069235 (opens in a new tab)
  3. Paul, G. S. (2016). The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs (2nd edition). Princeton University Press.
  4. Sereno, P. C., Beck, A. L., Dutheil, D. B., et al. (1999). Cretaceous sauropods from the Sahara and the uneven rate of skeletal evolution among dinosaurs. Science 286: 1342-1347. doi:10.1126/science.286.5443.1342 (opens in a new tab)
  5. Sereno, P. C., Wilson, J. A., Witmer, L. M., Whitlock, J. A., Maga, A., Ide, O. & Rowe, T. A. (2007). Structural extremes in a Cretaceous dinosaur. PLoS ONE 2(11): e1230. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001230 (opens in a new tab)