Nigersaurus ate primarily by grazing like a cow, mowing down low-lying vegetation, rather than browsing from tall trees like a giraffe.
Here's a breakdown of its feeding habits:
-
Low-Level Grazing: Nigersaurus's neck structure limited its ability to raise its head very high. This constraint forced it to feed on plants close to the ground.
-
Specialized Muzzle: Its most distinctive feature was a wide, straight-edged muzzle. This unique adaptation allowed it to efficiently crop vegetation near the ground. Think of it like a wide, vacuum-cleaner-like mouth.
-
Diet: Its diet likely consisted mainly of ferns and horsetails, which were common plants in its environment during the Cretaceous period.
-
Tooth Batteries: Nigersaurus possessed dental batteries, composed of hundreds of teeth arranged in rows, that were constantly being replaced. This adaptation helped it process large quantities of tough plant matter. As teeth wore down from grinding vegetation, new teeth grew in to replace them.
In essence, Nigersaurus was a ground-level grazer, equipped with a specialized muzzle and tooth structure to efficiently consume ferns and horsetails.
