“Abstain from searching for the dinosaur that possessed 500 teeth on the web”. This joke has been widely spread across social media and has emerged as one of the search engine’s autofill suggestions.
Those who inquire about the query receive results for the Nigersaurus.
The joke-turned-meme has been extensively circulated on various social media platforms, initially on Reddit.
Youthful comedians on the platform aim to astonish unsuspecting internet users by suggesting that the name is akin to the N-word.
The caution against looking it up began circulating back in September 2019. A Reddit user – who subsequently deleted their account – posted in /r/teenagers: “Whatever you do, don’t google ‘dinosaur with 500 teeth’.”
Since then, numerous memes have been created, with subtitles including “avoid googling 500 teeth dinosaur. Biggest mistake of my life”.
Others have employed the meme as a language for the racial accusation itself, such as the comment: “OK dinosaur with 500 teeth”.
Its name, however, is actually a reference to its place of discovery, the Republic of Niger.
Which dinosaur possesses 500 teeth?
The name Nigersaurus translates to “Niger’s Lizard” or “Niger reptile.” It was one of the earliest dinosaurs ever uncovered. Nigersaurus is a 30-foot-long herbivorous dinosaur. It belongs to the family of Diplodocus-like sauropod dinosaurs and existed about 119 to 105 million years ago during the Aptian or Albian age in the middle Cretaceous period.
It was unearthed in the bountiful fossil vertebrate fauna of the Elrhaz Formation in an area called Gadoufaoua in the Republic of Niger. The remains of this dinosaur were initially reported in 1976, but it was only defined in 1999 after the unearthing and interpretation of more extensive remains.
The genus encompasses a solitary species, Nigersaurus taqueti, named after French paleontologist Philippe Taquet, who discovered the initial remains.
Nigersaurus Cranium
Its cranium was highly specialized for feeding. It had four large side fenestrae, openings in the head, and thin bones. It had a broad muzzle filled with over 500 teeth, which were renewed approximately every 14 days. The jaws may have been covered with keratin, resembling a broad beak. Nigersaurus is the only known tetrapod animal to have wider jaws than the skull, with teeth spread laterally across the front. The teeth in the upper jaw might have been 20–30% larger than those in the lower jaw.
Beneath each active tooth, there was a row of nine replacement teeth within the jaw. The so-called dental batteries contained more than 500 active and replacement teeth, with 68 columns in the upper jaws and 60 columns in the lower jaws.
The enamel on Nigersaurus’ teeth was highly asymmetrical, ten times thicker on the outer surface than on the inner surface.
What was the size of Nigersaurus?
Similar to all sauropods, Nigersaurus moved on all fours with a petite head, robust hind legs, and a conspicuous tail. Nigersaurus was relatively small compared to the rest of its clade, with a body length of merely 9 m (30 ft) and a femur reaching only 1 m (3 ft 3 in).
Nigersaurus Weight
It may have weighed around 4 t (4.4 short tons), akin to a contemporary elephant. It possessed a short neck for a sauropod, with thirteen cervical vertebrae. Nearly all rebbachisaurids had relatively short necks and a length of 10 m (33 ft) or less. The only member of the family that attained the size of more enormous sauropods was Rebbachisaurus.
Fascinating Nigersaurus Dinosaur Facts
- “Nigersaurus” signifies “Niger lizard” (it was discovered in the country of Niger).
- Nigersaurus was a member of the Saurischia (“lizard-hipped”) order of dinosaurs. This implies that despite not being closely related to lizards, Nigersaurus had pelvic bones with a similar shape to those of lizards.
- Nigersaurus was an herbivore – it belonged to the group of related large quadrupedal herbivorous (plant-eating) dinosaurs with long necks known as Sauropods.
- Nigersaurus was Dubbed a “Mesozoic Cow”. It was suited for mimicking a lawn mower: Nigersaurus’ wide muzzle and grinding teeth were clearly designed for consuming ground-level vegetation (note that it wouldn’t have been able to consume grass, as grass had not yet evolved during its era).
- Nigersaurus was a “Short-Necked” Long-Necked Dinosaur. Sauropods are commonly associated with elongated necks; some species even boasted over 35 feet between their heads and shoulders. However, Nigersaurus and its nearest relatives (creating a sub-group called the “Rebbachisauridae”) did not excel in this aspect.
- Nigersaurus was Fairly Light-Headed. Its cranium featured some strikingly thin cranial bones; in fact, many were nearly translucent.
- Acute vision compared to other herbivore dinosaurs. Unlike most herbivores, Nigersaurus’ short neck was compensated by having eyes positioned at the top of its skull.
- It Took Scientists Decades to Recognize Just How Unusual This Creature Was. Nigersaurus was formally named in 1976, but paleontologists did not accurately comprehend the animal’s appearance until the late 2000s. This was due to the creature’s largely hollow skeleton, making it susceptible to breaking and distortion. Before 1997, although specimens were abundant, none provided substantial insight—resulting in few suspicions that Nigersaurus was anything other than an ordinary sauropod.
- Nigersaurus roamed the Earth between about 119 million years ago and 99 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period.
- Nigersaurus possessed an exceptionally unusual mouth for a Sauropod – it had an extensive intake like a vacuum cleaner (wider than the rest of its skull). After consuming food, it processed it with hundreds of tiny sharp teeth.
- They have Discovered Remains of Tiny Nigersaurus Offspring. While adults measured around 30 feet in length, the fossilized jawbone of a newborn Nigersaurus was so minute that, as per paleontologist Paul Sereno, it could “fit on top of a silver dollar.”
- Nigersaurus’ Sense of Smell Was Unremarkable. It likely didn’t rely heavily on its sense of smell. Examination of its brain cavity indicates that despite having elongated nostrils, this herbivore’s olfactory lobes (which facilitate odor detection in the brain) were notably small.
- Over 500 teeth in the anterior region of its skull
- A jaw that operated in an up-and-down motion instead of side-to-side, differentiating it from the majority of other herbivorous dinosaurs. Side-to-side chewing is also how goats and cows masticate their food.
- A brain comparable in size to other dinosaurs
Although a dinosaur with 500 teeth may appear frightening, it would not pose a threat as it was an herbivore, and thus only consumed plants.
Furthermore, the Nigersaurus would not have posed a danger to humans, as human beings had not yet appeared when it roamed the Earth around 110 million years ago. It would be another 100 million years before humans made their entrance on the planet.
How did the Nigersaurus gain an evolutionary advantage?
Due to its limited neck, the Nigersaurus is presumed to have fed on plants close to the ground. Other herbivorous dinosaurs had long necks and hence consumed vegetation and leaves at elevated heights, resembling the diet of giraffes. The Nigersaurus did not have to compete for food as it focused on consuming the overlooked plants.
However, it would not have consumed grass, as grass had not yet proliferated.
Was the Nigersaurus the sole dinosaur with an extensive number of teeth?
Definitely not, there were other dinosaurs with a greater number of teeth, such as the Hadrosaurs with 960 teeth.
I believe the Nigersaurus can be deemed an extraordinary dinosaur with numerous commendable attributes. If you opt for the dinosaur with 500 teeth as your favorite, go for it! At least, you can be assured that they cannot prey on humans!
