What’s the Dinosaur with 500 Teeth?
If you’ve ever searched “What dinosaur has 500 teeth?”, the answer is Nigersaurus — a real dinosaur, not just an internet joke.
Though it’s gone viral as a meme, Nigersaurus was a fascinating creature that lived over 100 million years ago in what is now Niger, West Africa.
What Is Nigersaurus?
Nigersaurus was a long-necked dinosaur (a sauropod) that belonged to the same family as Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus, but it looked very different.
Quick Facts:
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Nigersaurus taqueti |
| Meaning | “Niger reptile” |
| Length | About 30 feet (9 meters) |
| Weight | Around 4 tons |
| Lived | 110 million years ago (Cretaceous) |
| Habitat | Floodplains of modern Niger |
| Diet | Herbivore (plant-eater) |
Nigersaurus had a wide, flat mouth full of tiny, narrow teeth. While it didn’t have 500 teeth at once, it had over 500 teeth in total, including ones that were always growing to replace worn-out ones.
The Purpose of So Many Teeth:
- Built for grazing low-growing plants like ferns and horsetails
- Teeth were tightly packed at the front of the jaw
- It replaced teeth every 14 days
- Its head was angled downward, perfect for “vacuuming” plants
Where Was Nigersaurus Discovered?
The first Nigersaurus fossils were found in the 1970s by French paleontologist Philippe Taquet. A more complete skeleton was found later in 1999–2000 by Paul Sereno and his team from the University of Chicago.
These finds helped scientists understand how this dinosaur looked, moved, and ate.
What Did Nigersaurus Eat?
Nigersaurus was a peaceful plant-eater that fed close to the ground.
Its Main Diet:
- Ferns
- Soft leaves
- Ground-level plants
- Horsetails
It didn’t chew like humans. Instead, it used its teeth like a lawnmower, slicing plants as it moved.
What Made Nigersaurus So Unique?
| Feature | What Made It Special |
|---|---|
| Over 500 Teeth | Constantly replaced, used for ground-level grazing |
| Forward-Facing Mouth | Shaped like a vacuum cleaner |
| Short Neck | Unusual for a sauropod, just 10 vertebrae |
| Lightweight Skull | Thin bones with large openings |
| Herd Behavior | Likely lived and traveled in groups |
FAQ:
Q: Which dinosaur had 500 teeth?
A: Nigersaurus.
Q: Did it have 500 teeth at the same time?
A: No, only about 60 were active, but over 500 were stored and replaced regularly.
Q: Is Nigersaurus real or just a meme?
A: It’s 100% real. It’s been studied by paleontologists for decades.
Q: Was Nigersaurus dangerous?
A: No, it was a gentle plant-eater.
Q: Where did it live?
A: In present-day Niger, in West Africa.
Final Thoughts
The next time you hear someone joke about a “dinosaur with 500 teeth,” you’ll know the full story.
Nigersaurus was more than a meme — it was a unique creature built for a special way of eating, roaming the ancient African landscape with one of the strangest mouths in dinosaur history.