He found out lots of fossils from Elrhaz formations in Niger. Among the Those people fossils, he observed fossils of a different dinosaur species that is called Nigersaurus (“Niger Reptile”). He along with other paleontologists collected quite a few bony portions of Nigersaurus independently and assembled a rough skeleton.
Via a painstaking procedure, this crew was ready to reconstruct the inside of Nigersaurus' skull. That gave them a superb think about the lateral semicircular canal (LSC) of the inner ear, which assists animals hold their equilibrium.
Many of the tooth columns in Nigersaurus' dental batteries were lined up, in contrast to the teeth of other dinosaurs, on the really entrance of its mouth, positioned alongside the muzzle's gently curved periphery.
The Nigersaurus roamed the lush landscapes of the center Cretaceous period, in what has become the Sahara Desert of Niger. This area, when teeming with everyday living, presented a rich tapestry of soft, leafy vegetation that was ideal for the Nigersaurus’s specialised diet plan.
It had all-around 500 thin teeth in its jaw which were replaced with new teeth in 2 weeks. Its higher jaw teeth were being larger than its lessen jaw teeth. Moreover, Its jaw was A lot wider compared to skull.
There have been discussion on whether or not its head was habitually held downwards, or horizontally like other sauropods. It lived inside of a riparian habitat, and its diet regime probably consisted of sentimental crops, including ferns, horsetails, and angiosperms. It really is Probably the most frequent fossil vertebrates discovered in the area, and shared its habitat with other dinosaurian megaherbivores, together with large theropods and crocodylomorphs.
Nigersaurus experienced a outstanding dental battery consisting of around 500 slim, carefully packed teeth, organized in rows together its wide, flat jaw.
The Nigersaurus was a floor-degree browser. Its broad muzzle, combined with its quite a few teeth, permitted it to soak up large amounts of vegetation in an individual bite. The orientation of its teeth, all positioned for the front of its jaws, enabled it to successfully crop and Collect foodstuff close to the bottom.
However, this declare has actually been contested by other researchers who consider Nigersaurus was most likely far more typical of other sauropods.
The cranium of the Nigersaurus was made from slim bones and experienced many tiny openings and pores. These characteristics furnished them great overall flexibility in feeding on the bottom. The muzzle of your Nigersaurus was broad and extended which assisted it in ingesting smaller floor-primarily based vegetation.
In 2020, the French palaeontologist Julien Benoit and colleagues analyzed lateral semicircular canal correlation to go posture on modern-day mammals, and located that although there was major correlation involving the reconstructed and precise head postures, the aircraft from the semicircular canal wasn't held horizontally in the resting pose as inferred.
This structure was among the 1st dinosaur skulls to become digitally reconstructed working with CT scans, providing unparalleled insights into its feeding mechanics.
The wide muzzle of Nigersaurus was possible an adaptation to its very low-lying herbivorous eating plan, making it possible for it Nigersaurus to simply scoop up and Get plant content from the ground.
Nigersaurus is believed to have lived in substantial herds and might have migrated around prolonged distances in search of food stuff.