The ancient world of dinosaurs featured an astonishing array of creatures with unique adaptations. Among their many remarkable features, some developed extraordinary dental systems, leading to the intriguing question of which one boasted an incredible 500 teeth.
Meet the 500-Toothed Dinosaur
The dinosaur known for its many teeth is Nigersaurus taqueti. This sauropod, a group of long-necked, massive dinosaurs, was unusually small for its kind, measuring around 30 feet (9 meters) long and weighing approximately 4 tons, comparable to a modern elephant. Nigersaurus lived during the Early Cretaceous period, 115 to 105 million years ago. Its fossils were discovered in the Elrhaz Formation, now part of Niger in Africa, which gives the dinosaur its name. This herbivore possessed a distinctive, broad, and straight-edged snout, setting it apart from other sauropods.
The Incredible Tooth Battery
The “500 teeth” of Nigersaurus refers to a unique dental system called a tooth battery, not 500 individual active teeth. Behind each functional tooth, multiple rows of replacement teeth were stacked vertically. Nigersaurus could have up to nine replacement teeth per column, totaling over 500 teeth, including active and developing ones, at any given moment.
This dinosaur had the highest tooth replacement rate, with each tooth replaced approximately every 14 days. This rapid replacement was necessary because its diet of abrasive, low-lying vegetation caused significant wear.
Paleontologists deduced this complex dental structure from fossilized jaw structures and numerous tiny teeth. Its tooth-bearing jaw bones were uniquely rotated, positioning all teeth far to the front of its wide muzzle.
A Grazing Giant of the Cretaceous
Nigersaurus’s unique dental structure suited its specialized lifestyle. Its broad, straight-edged snout functioned like a prehistoric lawnmower, efficiently cropping low-lying vegetation.
This dinosaur primarily grazed on soft plants such as ferns, horsetails, and early flowering plants, as grass had not yet evolved during its time. This feeding strategy contrasts with many other sauropods, which typically browsed on higher foliage.
Although Nigersaurus had a long neck, it was likely held horizontally or downwards to facilitate this ground-level grazing. It inhabited a lush, swampy, and riverine environment in what is now the Sahara Desert during the Cretaceous period, a stark difference from the desert landscape seen today.