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long-neck giant
Nigersaurus
Say it like this: “nee-ZHAYR-SAWR-us”
Nigersaurus taqueti
Nigersaurus ate plants and walked on four legs. It lived in the Early Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Niger.
- When
- Early Cretaceous (Aptian · Albian) · roughly 121.4 to 100.5 million years ago
- Named in
- 1999 · Sereno, P. C.; Beck, A. L.; Dutheil, D. B.; Larsson, H. C. E.; Lyon, G. H.; Moussa, B.; Sadleir, R. W.; Sidor, C. A.; Varricchio, D. J.; Wilson, G. P.; Wilson, J. A.
- Hip height
- 2.2 m · 7 ft
- Length
- 9–14.1 m · 30–46 ft
- Weight
- 1.9–4 tonnes
- Found in
- Niger · Elrhaz
- Food and walking
- Herbivore · Four legs
- Kind
- long-neck giant · Sauropod
- Family branch
- Rebbachisaurinae
The story in short
Nigersaurus was formally named in 1999 by P. C. Sereno and colleagues. The name means “niger reptile.”
Fossils referred to Nigersaurus date to the Early Cretaceous (Aptian · Albian), roughly 121.4 to 100.5 million years ago. Finds come from Niger, including the Elrhaz Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.
Published estimates put Nigersaurus at a length near 9–14.1 m, hips about 2.2 m high, and a body mass around 1.9–4 tonnes.
On the family tree it sits in Rebbachisaurinae, among the sauropod dinosaurs.
Close relatives
Demandasaurus
Demandasaurus darwini
Early Cretaceous (Barremian · Aptian) · roughly 125.8 to 113.2 million years ago
Rebbachisaurus
Rebbachisaurus garasbae
Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) · roughly 100.5 to 93.9 million years ago
Tataouinea
Tataouinea hannibalis
Early Cretaceous (Albian) · roughly 113.2 to 100.5 million years ago