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Nigersaurus

Dinosaur profile

Nigersaurus

Nigersaurus taqueti

HerbivoreEarly CretaceousSauropod

Pronunciation

nee-zhayr-sore-us

Meaning

Niger lizard

Type

Sauropod

Length

15m

Period

Early Cretaceous

Years

121 - 99 million years ago

Location

Niger, Algeria, Tunisia

Diet

Herbivore

About Nigersaurus

Nigersaurus was a herbivorous sauropod dinosaur that lived during the middle Jurassic period, about 110-100 million years ago. It was a relatively small sauropod, with an estimated length of about 25 feet and a weight of about 2-3 tons. It was characterized by its elongated skull, which had numerous small, closely spaced teeth that were adapted for grinding tough plant material. Nigersaurus had a relatively short neck and a long, flexible tail, which it may have used to balance itself while feeding. It lived in what is now modern-day Niger, Africa, and its fossils have been found in the Sahara Desert.

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