Ouranosaurus

Say it like this: “oo-RAHN-o-SAWR-us”

Ouranosaurus nigeriensis

Ouranosaurus ate plants and walked on two or four legs. It lived in the Early Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Niger.

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When: Early Cretaceous (Aptian) · roughly 121.4 to 113.2 million years ago
Named in: 1976 · Taquet, P.
Hip height: 2.2 m · 7 ft
Length: 7–8.3 m · 23–27 ft
Weight: 2.2 tonnes
Found in: Niger · Elrhaz
Food and walking: Herbivore · Two or four legs
Kind: beaked plant-eater · Ornithopod
Family branch: Styracosterna

The story in short

In 1976, P. Taquet published the name Ouranosaurus.

It lived in the Early Cretaceous (Aptian), roughly 121.4 to 113.2 million years ago. Finds come from Niger, including the Elrhaz Formation. It was a herbivore and could move on two or four legs.

Published estimates put Ouranosaurus at a length near 7–8.3 m, hips about 2.2 m high, and a body mass around 2.2 tonnes.

On the family tree it sits in Styracosterna, among the ornithopod dinosaurs.

Close relatives

Bayannurosaurus

Bayannurosaurus perfectus

Early Cretaceous (Aptian) · roughly 121.4 to 113.2 million years ago

Calvarius

Calvarius rapidus

Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago

Cedrorestes

Cedrorestes crichtoni

Early Cretaceous (Aptian) · roughly 121.4 to 113.2 million years ago