Ouranosaurus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids OuranosaurusTemporal range: Lower Cretaceous
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Fossil
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Ouranosaurus
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| Ouranosaurus nigeriensis Taquet, 1976
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Ouranosaurus (say "oo-RAH-noh-SAWR-us") was a fascinating plant-eating dinosaur that lived a very long time ago. Its name means "brave lizard" or "monitor lizard." This dinosaur is famous for the tall "sail" on its back. It belonged to a group of dinosaurs called iguanodontids.
Ouranosaurus lived during the Lower Cretaceous period, which was about 125 to 112 million years ago. Imagine a world where dinosaurs roamed! This amazing creature lived in what is now Africa.
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What Was Ouranosaurus Like?
Ouranosaurus was a medium-sized dinosaur. It grew to be about 24 feet (7 meters) long. That's roughly the length of a school bus! It might have weighed around 4 tons, which is like two cars.
One of the most unique things about Ouranosaurus was the large "sail" on its back. This sail was made of long spines that grew from its backbone. Scientists think this sail might have helped the dinosaur control its body temperature. It could have soaked up heat from the sun or released extra heat when it was too warm.
Another interesting feature was its skull. Ouranosaurus had a long, flat head with a wide snout. It also had some unusual bumps on its nose area. These bumps might have been used for showing off or for pushing through plants.
Where Did Ouranosaurus Live?
This dinosaur lived in a hot, ancient environment in north Africa. Today, this area is part of the Sahara Desert in northeast Niger. During the Cretaceous period, this region was likely a lush, warm place with rivers and plenty of plants for dinosaurs to eat.
Ouranosaurus shared its home with other large dinosaurs. One famous meat-eating dinosaur that lived at the same time and place was Spinosaurus. Spinosaurus also had a large sail on its back, but it was a fierce hunter, unlike the plant-eating Ouranosaurus. Other dinosaurs like Suchomimus and Nigersaurus also lived in this ancient landscape.
Discovering Ouranosaurus
The first almost complete fossils of Ouranosaurus were found in 1966. They were discovered in the southern Sahara Desert, in a place called Gadoufaoua in northeast Niger. Finding such complete skeletons helps scientists learn a lot about how these dinosaurs looked and lived.
The dinosaur was officially named and described in 1976 by a French paleontologist named Philippe Taquet. Thanks to his work, we can now imagine what this incredible "brave lizard" was like millions of years ago.
Images for kids
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Location of the Gadoufaoua within Niger
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Skull
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Restoration of the head displaying "nasal protuberances"
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Mounted skeleton cast, ROM
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Dorsal vertebrae
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Restoration of Ouranosaurus nigeriensis based on skeletal diagrams and casts, fossils, and related species
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Paratype MSNVE 3714 in front view
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Suchomimus and Nigersaurus in the environment of the Elrhaz Formation
See also
In Spanish: Ouranosaurus nigeriensis para niños
