The prehistoric world was home to an array of creatures with extraordinary features. One dinosaur stands out for its unique oral anatomy: an animal equipped with hundreds of teeth, all working in concert for a specific purpose. This dental arrangement points to a specialized lifestyle, hinting at how this creature thrived millions of years ago.
Nigersaurus: The Dinosaur with 500 Teeth
Nigersaurus taqueti, a sauropod within the rebbachisaurid family, is renowned for its astounding number of teeth. This herbivorous dinosaur lived approximately 115 to 105 million years ago during the middle Cretaceous period in what is now the Republic of Niger, Africa. Although its fossil site is currently part of the Sahara Desert, the region was once a lush floodplain with rivers and abundant vegetation. Nigersaurus was relatively small for a sauropod, measuring about 9 meters (30 feet) long and weighing between 1.9 and 4 tons, comparable to a modern elephant. Its distinguishing characteristic was its highly specialized skull and dentition.
A Unique Dental Battery
The “dental battery” was a key feature of Nigersaurus, allowing for efficient feeding. Unlike most animals, Nigersaurus had rows of replacement teeth stacked vertically behind each functional tooth. Its broad muzzle housed over 500 teeth, with an estimated 60 columns in the upper jaw and 68 in the lower, each containing up to nine replacement teeth. These slender, needle-shaped teeth were positioned far to the front of its jaws, forming a wide, comb-like structure.
This dental system necessitated a rapid tooth replacement rate, with each tooth being replaced as frequently as every 14 days. Continuous replacement was essential to counteract the severe wear caused by its abrasive plant-based diet.
Low-Browsing Lifestyle
The specialized dental structure of Nigersaurus was adapted for a low-browsing feeding strategy. Its wide muzzle and front-facing teeth enabled it to efficiently crop large quantities of vegetation close to the ground. This dinosaur fed on soft plants such as ferns, horsetails, and early flowering plants, as grass had not yet evolved during its time. In contrast to other long-necked sauropods that browsed on higher foliage, Nigersaurus had a relatively short neck, suggesting its head was habitually held downwards for grazing. Its delicate skull, with thin bones and large openings, supported this gentle grazing method, as it was not built for forceful biting or chewing tough material.