The dinosaur that possessed an astonishing 500 teeth at any given time was Nigersaurus taqueti. This unique sauropod, a long-necked plant-eater, is known for its highly specialized skull and dental structure. The constant replacement of this extreme dentition allowed Nigersaurus to feed in a way unlike most of its relatives.
Meet Nigersaurus taqueti
Nigersaurus taqueti belonged to the Rebbachisauridae family, placing it within the Diplodocoidea superfamily of long-necked sauropods. This species lived during the middle Cretaceous period, approximately 115 to 105 million years ago, in what is now the Ténéré Desert of Niger in Africa. The genus name, Nigersaurus, means “Niger lizard,” referencing the country where its fossils were discovered. The species name honors French paleontologist Philippe Taquet, who first found remains of the dinosaur in the 1970s. Although initial remains were found in 1976, the dinosaur was fully described in 1999 after more complete fossils were recovered.
The Ultimate Dental Battery
The concept of “500 teeth” refers to the number present in its mouth at any single moment, achieved through a feature called a dental battery, which consists of vertical stacks of replacement teeth positioned beneath the single functional tooth in each socket. In Nigersaurus, each tooth position held a column of up to nine replacement teeth stacked beneath the one in use. This arrangement provided a continuous supply of sharp, fresh teeth ready to erupt as the functional one wore down and fell out. The rate of tooth replacement was the fastest known for any dinosaur, with each tooth being replaced roughly every 14 days. This meant the dinosaur cycled through its entire set of 500 teeth multiple times a year, maintaining a consistent, sharp cutting edge.
Grazing Specialist: Diet and Feeding Mechanics
The extraordinary dental battery and skull structure of Nigersaurus were perfectly adapted for a highly specialized form of low-level grazing. Its wide, squared-off muzzle was tipped with hundreds of teeth, giving it a broad, straight edge. This morphology allowed it to efficiently crop large amounts of vegetation close to the ground, earning it the nickname “Mesozoic Cow.”
The wear patterns on its teeth suggest that it primarily consumed soft vegetation like ferns, horsetails, and early flowering plants, rather than tough, abrasive material. The constant, rapid replacement of its teeth was necessary to counteract the high wear caused by ingesting grit and soil near the ground.
Unlike many other sauropods that used their long necks to browse high into the tree canopy, Nigersaurus was built for ground feeding. Paleontological studies of its inner ear structure suggest that its head was habitually held downward, parallel to the ground. This low-slung head posture, combined with the broad snout, allowed it to maximize the intake of low-level foliage.
Discovery and Physical Characteristics
Detailed understanding of Nigersaurus is largely credited to expeditions led by American paleontologist Paul Sereno in the late 1990s. The initial challenge in studying the dinosaur was the extremely fragile nature of its skull, which was composed of very thin, delicate bones. The total area of bone connecting the muzzle to the back of the skull was only about one square centimeter. To overcome this fragility, the skull was digitally reconstructed using high-resolution CT scans, making it one of the first dinosaur specimens treated this way.
Physically, Nigersaurus was relatively small for a sauropod, measuring about 30 feet (9 meters) long, with a body mass comparable to a modern elephant. It possessed a comparatively short neck, containing only thirteen cervical vertebrae, reinforcing its adaptation to ground-level feeding. Its overall body plan, with a highly pneumatic, or air-filled, skeleton, represented a departure from the massive forms of its relatives. The specialized, delicate skull structure, coupled with its small stature, was key evidence in determining its unique role as a specialized low-level grazing herbivore.