A prehistoric creature possessed a dental structure unlike anything seen today, boasting an astonishing number of teeth. This allowed it to process vast quantities of plant material with remarkable efficiency, highlighting how evolution shapes organisms to thrive.
The Dinosaur with 500 Teeth
The dinosaur known for having 500 teeth is Nigersaurus taqueti, a distinctive sauropod that roamed Earth 115 to 105 million years ago during the middle Cretaceous period. French paleontologist Philippe Taquet first discovered its remains in Niger in 1976. More complete fossils were unearthed by Paul Sereno’s team, leading to its formal naming in 1999.
Nigersaurus belonged to the Rebbachisauridae family, a group of sauropods including Diplodocus. While many sauropods were gigantic, Nigersaurus was modest in size, measuring about 9 meters (30 feet) long and weighing 1.9 to 4 tons, comparable to a modern elephant.
A Mouth Like No Other
The most striking feature of Nigersaurus was its specialized skull and dental system. Its wide, straight-edged muzzle, often compared to a vacuum cleaner nozzle, contained over 500 teeth at the very front of its jaw. These teeth were concentrated in unique structures called dental batteries.
Within these dental batteries, teeth were arranged in tightly packed rows, with up to nine replacement teeth stacked vertically behind each active tooth. This arrangement allowed for an incredibly rapid tooth replacement rate, with each tooth being replaced approximately every 14 days. This ensured Nigersaurus always had sharp, functional teeth, despite the wear and tear from its diet.
The jawbones were uniquely rotated, placing all teeth far forward, making its snout wider than the rest of its skull. This configuration allowed Nigersaurus to efficiently process vegetation with a shearing action.
Diet and Habitat
The dental structure of Nigersaurus was perfectly adapted to its diet and environment. This herbivore was a low-level grazer, feeding on vegetation close to the ground, unlike many other long-necked sauropods. Its wide muzzle functioned like a broad scoop, efficiently stripping large quantities of plants.
Nigersaurus likely fed on soft, low-lying plants such as ferns, horsetails, and early flowering plants (angiosperms). Grass, as we know it today, had not yet evolved. The rapid tooth replacement rate combated the abrasive nature of these prehistoric plants, which contained silica crystals that would quickly wear down teeth.
Fossils of Nigersaurus have been discovered in what is now the Sahara Desert in Niger, Africa. During the middle Cretaceous period, this region was a lush, riparian habitat. It featured abundant rivers, floodplains, and diverse plant life, providing an ideal environment for this specialized grazing dinosaur.