- · Grid units represent actual meters (m); human and animals are drawn to the exact same scale with original silhouette aspect ratios preserved.
- · When a size range is recorded (e.g. 1–1.6m), the lower bound is used for scale comparison.
- · Nigersaurus silhouette: PhyloPic — Jagged Fang Designs · CC0 1.0
- · Human silhouette: PhyloPic — NASA · Public Domain Mark 1.0
Nigersaurus
Nigersaurus taqueti (Nigersaurus · ニジェールサウルス)
Known only from fossils. The IUCN Red List assesses only species extant since 1500 CE, so fossil taxa are not assigned a category.
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its estimated body length of about 15 m (representative value for the genus) is about 1/4 longer than a city bus (about 12 m) (Comparison).
- 💡 Its genus name was taken from the country where its fossils were found, making it an example of a dinosaur named after a nation.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
Nigersaurus taqueti (genus Nigersaurus) was a herbivorous sauropod (rebbachisaurid) that lived in Africa during the Early Cretaceous. Its name means 'Niger lizard,' after the country of Niger.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Parts of the skull and many postcranial bones have been found. Its body length is recorded as about 15 m.
🔍 3. Fossil Record & Paleoecology
It was a herbivorous dinosaur. Paul Sereno and colleagues named it in 1999.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • Fossil taxon — the IUCN Red List assesses only species living or extinct since 1500
- • paleobiodb.org — basicTaxonInfo
- • wikidata.org — Q131407
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Nigersaurus mount.jpg
- • nhm.ac.uk — nigersaurus.html
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Jagged Fang Designs · CC0 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.