The dinosaur known for its hundreds of teeth is Nigersaurus taqueti. This creature’s unique dental arrangement allowed it to process its diet in a way unlike most other large herbivores. Its specialized mouth and lifestyle offer a fascinating glimpse into the diverse strategies dinosaurs employed to thrive in their ancient environments.
Unveiling the Tooth-Filled Dinosaur
The dinosaur renowned for its incredible number of teeth is Nigersaurus taqueti, named after the Republic of Niger where its fossils were discovered. It is classified as a sauropod, a group of long-necked, plant-eating dinosaurs, specifically belonging to the rebbachisaurid family. Remains of Nigersaurus were first mentioned in a paper in 1976. However, it was not formally named until 1999, after American paleontologist Paul Sereno and his team found more complete fossil material in 1997 and 2000.
Sereno described Nigersaurus as one of the most unusual dinosaurs he had encountered, noting its peculiar features. These findings were crucial for a more comprehensive understanding of this particular dinosaur, which had been poorly known despite its common presence in the fossil record.
The Marvel of Its Mouth
The most striking feature of Nigersaurus was its highly specialized mouth, which housed a “dental battery” system. This system involved hundreds of teeth arranged in columns, constantly being replaced from beneath. It featured more than 500 active and replacement teeth at any given time, including 68 columns in the upper jaws and 60 columns in the lower jaws.
The teeth were slender and needle-like, with slightly curved crowns and prominent ridges. They were positioned at the very front of its broad, straight snout, extending laterally across the front of its jaws, which were wider than the rest of its skull. This configuration meant all its teeth were located far forward, giving its muzzle a shovel-like or vacuum cleaner-like appearance. This unusual dental setup allowed for a shearing action as the upper and lower teeth slid past each other.
The Nigersaurus dental battery had a rapid tooth replacement rate. Each tooth was replaced approximately every 14 days, a pace faster than any other known dinosaur. This continuous replacement ensured a constant supply of sharp, functional teeth, despite wear and tear from its feeding habits. Under each active tooth, there was a column of up to nine replacement teeth ready to erupt.
Life as a Super-Toothed Herbivore
The dental adaptations of Nigersaurus were suited for its diet as a low-lying herbivore. This dinosaur likely fed on soft, ground-level vegetation such as ferns, horsetails, and early flowering plants, often compared to a modern-day lawnmower or “Mesozoic cow”. Its wide muzzle and the forward placement of its teeth allowed it to efficiently crop large quantities of plants close to the ground. The head was habitually held downwards, a posture supported by the anatomy of its inner ear.
Nigersaurus was relatively small for a sauropod, measuring about 9 meters (30 feet) long and weighing around 1.9 to 4 tons, comparable to a modern elephant. It lived during the middle Cretaceous period, approximately 115 to 105 million years ago. Its habitat was in what is now Niger, a region that was then a lush environment of floodplains, rivers, and forests.
Its teeth were designed for cropping and slicing rather than strong chewing, suggesting it consumed relatively soft plant material. The constant wear from processing abrasive plants, which contained silica, necessitated its fast tooth replacement. This specialized feeding method allowed Nigersaurus to thrive in its environment alongside other large herbivores and predators of the time.