🦷 The Bronto Brothers Help Raptor Rex Not Be Afraid of the Dentist

Do you ever get nervous about going to the dentist? Imagine if you were a dinosaur who had to replace its teeth every TWO WEEKS! That’s precisely what the Nigersaurus did. 

🦕 Meet the Dentist Defying Nigersaurus

✔️ Here is how to say Nigersaurus:

• “nye” (like “eye” with an N in front)
• “JER” (rhymes with “her”)
• “sore” (like “sore muscle”)
• “us” (like “us together”)
  
  So when reading it aloud, say: nye-JER-sore-us

🏜️ A Desert Discovery

Long, long ago, like 110 million years ago, to be exact, there was a dinosaur living in what is now the hot, sandy desert of Niger in Africa. But back then, it wasn’t only a desert; there were rivers, lakes, and plants everywhere. It was like a big, green salad bar for dinosaurs!

A French paleontologist, Philippe Taquet, found some of its bones between 1965 and 1972. But it took almost 30 years before scientists realized these bones belonged to a brand-new dinosaur no one had ever seen before.

This awesome dino was called Nigersaurus taqueria, named after Niger and Taquet. It was a type of sauropod (a long-neck dinosaur family), but Nigersaurus differed from its giant cousins, like Brontosaurus.

Why? Because its mouth was shaped like a VACUUM CLEANER! Yep. It grazed along the ground, sucking up plants, grit, and sand like your vacuum cleans your bedroom rug (well… if you clean your room 😉).

🦷 Teeth That Didn’t Quit

All that gritty food would require many trips to the dentist, but Nigersaurus had no troubles; it had 500 teeth and replaced them every two weeks! That’s like the Tooth Fairy coming to your house twice a month with a giant sack of teeth.

How do scientists know that? When dinosaur teeth form, tiny lines grow, like tree rings. By counting those lines, scientists can tell how old the teeth are. And Nigersaurus always had seven rows of backup teeth ready to pop into place. 

What Modern-Day Animals Grow New Teeth?

Here are some modern animals that regenerate their teeth, just like the mighty Nigersaurus did:

🐊 Crocodiles & Alligators

• They can replace each tooth up to 50 times in their lifetime!
  
• New teeth grow under the old ones, ready to push through when needed.
  

🦈 Sharks

• The champions of tooth replacement.
  
• Some sharks lose teeth every week or two and have hundreds to thousands of backup teeth lined up in rows like a conveyor belt. This looks pretty similar to the Nigersaurus!
  

🐍 Snakes

• Many snakes replace their teeth regularly, especially if one breaks off while catching prey.
  

🐠 Certain Fish

• Fish like piranhas and parrotfish replace their teeth throughout life to keep their bite strong.
  

🦎 Some Lizards

• Geckos and other lizards can regrow lost teeth multiple times.
  

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💡 Fun Bronto Brothers Thought:
Imagine if humans were like sharks or crocodiles. How would the Tooth Fairy keep up with all those teeth!? 😂 $$

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Afraid of the Dentist?

✨ Next time you’re worried about going to the dentist, remember: At least you don’t have to grow 500 new teeth every two weeks like Nigersaurus did!

Stay curious, paleontologists!
The Bronto Brothers

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