Misplaced Pages

#339660

70-580: Ouranosaurus is a genus of herbivorous basal hadrosauriform dinosaur that lived during the Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous of modern-day Niger and Cameroon . Ouranosaurus measured about 7–8.3 metres (23–27 ft) long and weighed 2.2 metric tons (2.4 short tons). Two rather complete fossils were found in the Elrhaz Formation , Gadoufaoua deposits, Agadez , Niger, in 1965 and 1970, with

140-412: A coracoid process is present as part of the scapula , but this is not homologous with the coracoid bone of most other vertebrates. In other tetrapods , it joins the scapula to the front end of the sternum and has a notch on the dorsal surface which, along with a similar notch on the ventral surface of the scapula, forms the socket in which the proximal end of the humerus (upper arm bone)

210-496: A pterosaur , chelonians , fish, a hybodont shark, and freshwater bivalves have been found. Grass did not evolve until the late Cretaceous. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Genus The composition of a genus is determined by taxonomists . The standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce different classifications for genera. There are some general practices used, however, including

280-557: A species : see Botanical name and Specific name (zoology) . The rules for the scientific names of organisms are laid down in the nomenclature codes , which allow each species a single unique name that, for animals (including protists ), plants (also including algae and fungi ) and prokaryotes ( bacteria and archaea ), is Latin and binomial in form; this contrasts with common or vernacular names , which are non-standardized, can be non-unique, and typically also vary by country and language of usage. Except for viruses ,

350-549: A beak, like other iguanodontians, although dissimilar from Iguanodon and similar to hadrosaurids the nares are entirely visible from above. Neither premaxilla bears any teeth, although the very anterior tip has "pseudo-teeth" formed by multiple denticles on the margin of the bone. Only the right maxilla of Ouranosaurus is known. although it is well preserved forming a triangle 28.0 cm (11.0 in) long and 11.7 cm (4.6 in) tall, much taller proportionally than Iguanodon . The maxilla bears faces for articulation with

420-416: A continuous surface. Contrary to the situation with some related species, a third generation of erupted teeth was lacking. There were twenty-two tooth positions in both lower and upper jaw, for a total of eighty-eight. The most conspicuous feature of Ouranosaurus is a large "sail" on its back, supported by long, wide, neural spines , that spanned its entire rump and tail, resembling that of Spinosaurus ,

490-404: A horny sheath during life, forming a very wide beak together with a comparable sheath on the short predentary bone at the extreme front of the lower jaws. However, after a rather large diastema with the beak, there were large batteries of cheek teeth on the sides of the jaws: the gaps between the teeth crowns were filled by the points of a second generation of replacement teeth, the whole forming

560-643: A later homonym of a validly published name is a nomen illegitimum or nom. illeg. ; for a full list refer to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants and the work cited above by Hawksworth, 2010. In place of the "valid taxon" in zoology, the nearest equivalent in botany is " correct name " or "current name" which can, again, differ or change with alternative taxonomic treatments or new information that results in previously accepted genera being combined or split. Prokaryote and virus codes of nomenclature also exist which serve as

630-510: A layer in the upper Elrhaz Formation of the Tégama Group , which was deposited during the Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous . On the first expedition, lasting from January–February 1965, eight iguanodontian specimens were discovered at the "niveau des Innocents" site, east of the Emechedoui wells. An additional two skeletons were discovered 7 km (4.3 mi) southeast of Elrhaz in

700-621: A long time and redescribed as new by a range of subsequent workers, or if a range of genera previously considered separate taxa have subsequently been consolidated into one. For example, the World Register of Marine Species presently lists 8 genus-level synonyms for the sperm whale genus Physeter Linnaeus, 1758, and 13 for the bivalve genus Pecten O.F. Müller, 1776. Within the same kingdom, one generic name can apply to one genus only. However, many names have been assigned (usually unintentionally) to two or more different genera. For example,

770-536: A news article and again in December 1972 in a book; only the book bore any images associated with the name, and none of the earlier mentions had a diagnosis to make the name valid. Ouranosaurus was a relatively large iguanodontian, measuring 7–8.3 metres (23–27 feet) long and weighing 2.2 tonnes (2.4 short tons). The holotype and paratype specimens were suggested to belong to subadults by Bertozzo et al. in 2017, although they would have been close to adult size. MSNVE 3714

SECTION 10

#1732856217340

840-409: A reference for designating currently accepted genus names as opposed to others which may be either reduced to synonymy, or, in the case of prokaryotes, relegated to a status of "names without standing in prokaryotic nomenclature". An available (zoological) or validly published (botanical) name that has been historically applied to a genus but is not regarded as the accepted (current/valid) name for

910-463: A single supraorbital was present in Ouranosaurus , which projects into the orbit above the eye. The nasal bones of Ouranosaurus are unique among ornithischians. The bones are unfused suggesting mobility, and at their ends on the top of the skull are rounded domes, which were described by Taquet (1976) as distinct and rugose "nasal protuberances". The snout was toothless and covered in

980-430: A stronger bite. A lesser muscle, the musculus depressor mandibulae , used to open the lower jaws, was located at the back of the skull and was connected to a strongly projecting, broad and anteriorly oblique processus paroccipitalis . Ouranosaurus probably used its teeth to chew up tough plant food. A diet has been suggested of leaves, fruit, and seeds as the chewing would allow to free more energy from high quality food;

1050-427: A taxon; however, the names published in suppressed works are made unavailable via the relevant Opinion dealing with the work in question. In botany, similar concepts exist but with different labels. The botanical equivalent of zoology's "available name" is a validly published name . An invalidly published name is a nomen invalidum or nom. inval. ; a rejected name is a nomen rejiciendum or nom. rej. ;

1120-409: A tendon to support the neck or skull. The tenth, eleventh and twelfth spines are the longest, at about 63 cm (25 in). The last dorsal spine, the seventeenth, has a grooved posterior edge, in which the anterior corner of the lower spine of the first sacral vertebra is locked. The spines over the six sacral vertebrae are markedly lower, but those of the tail base again longer; towards the end of

1190-616: A third indeterminate specimen known from the Koum Formation of Cameroon. The animal was named in 1976 by French paleontologist Philippe Taquet ; the type species being Ouranosaurus nigeriensis . The generic name is a combination of ourane, a word with multiple meanings ("an Arabic name that signifies valor, courage, recklessness"; the Tuareg name of the desert monitor given by the Tuareg Berbers of Niger & Algeria), and sauros ,

1260-673: A thumb spike), Ouranosaurus is no longer usually placed in the iguanodontid family, a grouping that is now generally considered paraphyletic , a series of subsequent offshoots from the main stem-line of iguandontian evolution. It is instead placed in the clade Hadrosauriformes , closely related to the Hadrosauroidea , which contains the Hadrosauridae (also known as "duck-billed dinosaurs") and their closest relatives. Ouranosaurus appears to represent an early specialized branch in this group, showing in some traits independent convergence with

1330-455: A total of c. 520,000 published names (including synonyms) as at end 2019, increasing at some 2,500 published generic names per year. "Official" registers of taxon names at all ranks, including genera, exist for a few groups only such as viruses and prokaryotes, while for others there are compendia with no "official" standing such as Index Fungorum for fungi, Index Nominum Algarum and AlgaeBase for algae, Index Nominum Genericorum and

1400-545: A well-known meat-eating dinosaur also known from northern Africa as well as those of the modern Crested chamaeleon ( Trioceros cristatus ) which has a moderate sail on its back, and to a lesser extent the sail-backed temnospondyl Platyhystrix rugosus . These tall neural spines did not closely resemble those of sail-backed synapsids such as Dimetrodon of the Permian Period as the supporting spines in synapsids become thinner distally, whereas in Ouranosaurus (as well as

1470-410: Is 6.5 m (21 ft) long as mounted, although a few caudals are missing, and is roughly 90% the length of the holotype, which would be 7.22 m (23.7 ft) long. The variation between the sizes fits within the range of variation between adult individuals of Iguanodon , so there is a chance that the larger holotype and smaller paratype were same ontogenetic stage. The skull of Ouranosaurus

SECTION 20

#1732856217340

1540-407: Is 67.0 cm (26.4 in) long. It was rather low, being 24.4 cm (9.6 in) wide and only 26.0 cm (10.2 in) tall. The top of the skull was flat, the highest point being just in front of the orbits and sloping down towards both the rear of the skull and the tip of the snout. This makes Ouranosaurus have the most elongate skull of any non- hadrosaurid , the length being 3.8 times

1610-510: Is both taken from Arabic meaning "valour", "bravery " or "recklessness" and also from the local Tuareg language of Niger where it is the name they call the desert monitor . The specific name refers to Niger, the country of discovery. Taquet had used the name "Ouranosaurus nigeriensis" previously, first in a public presentation of the skeleton MNHN GDF 300 in July 1972, then later in September 1972 in

1680-596: Is discouraged by both the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature and the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants , there are some five thousand such names in use in more than one kingdom. For instance, A list of generic homonyms (with their authorities), including both available (validly published) and selected unavailable names, has been compiled by the Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG). The type genus forms

1750-401: Is located. The acrocoracoid process is an expansion adjacent to this contact surface, to which the shoulderward end of the biceps brachii muscle attaches in these animals. In birds (and generally theropods and related animals), the entire unit is rigid and called scapulocoracoid . This plays a major role in bird flight . In other dinosaurs , the main bones of the pectoral girdle were

1820-425: Is obscured by sand dunes. The sediments are coarse- to medium-grained, with almost no fine-grained horizons . Ouranosaurus is from the upper portion of the formation, probably Aptian in age. It likely lived in habitats dominated by inland floodplains (a riparian zone ). It has been claimed that the iguanodontian Lurdusaurus and the rebbachisaurid Nigersaurus were the most numerous megaherbivores in

1890-460: Is somewhat arbitrary. Although all species within a genus are supposed to be "similar", there are no objective criteria for grouping species into genera. There is much debate among zoologists about whether enormous, species-rich genera should be maintained, as it is extremely difficult to come up with identification keys or even character sets that distinguish all species. Hence, many taxonomists argue in favor of breaking down large genera. For instance,

1960-474: Is the type species , and the generic name is permanently associated with the type specimen of its type species. Should the specimen turn out to be assignable to another genus, the generic name linked to it becomes a junior synonym and the remaining taxa in the former genus need to be reassessed. In zoological usage, taxonomic names, including those of genera, are classified as "available" or "unavailable". Available names are those published in accordance with

2030-416: The postorbital is a tri-radiate bone surrounding sides of the orbit, infratemporal fenestra and supratemporal fenestra . Contact between the postorbital and the parietal excludes the flattened and wide frontals from the supratemporal fenestra. In Ouranosaurus and related taxa the prefrontals are small, and articulates with the broadened and textured lacrimal. Only

2100-621: The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ; the earliest such name for any taxon (for example, a genus) should then be selected as the " valid " (i.e., current or accepted) name for the taxon in question. Consequently, there will be more available names than valid names at any point in time; which names are currently in use depending on the judgement of taxonomists in either combining taxa described under multiple names, or splitting taxa which may bring available names previously treated as synonyms back into use. "Unavailable" names in zoology comprise names that either were not published according to

2170-799: The International Plant Names Index for plants in general, and ferns through angiosperms, respectively, and Nomenclator Zoologicus and the Index to Organism Names for zoological names. Totals for both "all names" and estimates for "accepted names" as held in the Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG) are broken down further in the publication by Rees et al., 2020 cited above. The accepted names estimates are as follows, broken down by kingdom: The cited ranges of uncertainty arise because IRMNG lists "uncertain" names (not researched therein) in addition to known "accepted" names;

Ouranosaurus - Misplaced Pages Continue

2240-417: The holotype , and was the primary specimen described, including a semi-articulated skull lacking the left maxilla , right quadratojugal and the articulars , almost the entire vertebral column , forelimbs lacking a few hand bones, and most of the right hindlimb and a few bones of the left. Additional description for bones unpreserved in the holotype was based on Taquet's MNHN GDF 381, which

2310-404: The platypus belongs to the genus Ornithorhynchus although George Shaw named it Platypus in 1799 (these two names are thus synonyms ) . However, the name Platypus had already been given to a group of ambrosia beetles by Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst in 1793. A name that means two different things is a homonym . Since beetles and platypuses are both members of the kingdom Animalia,

2380-517: The "Camp des deux Arbres" locality, which were given the field numbers GDF 300 and GDI 381. Both were collected in the February–April 1966 expedition, the former including a nearly complete but scattered skeleton, and the latter a skeleton that was two-thirds preserved. The skeletons then in 1967 were brought to the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle of Paris, where they were prepared. GDF 381

2450-553: The Elrhaz formation, however this runs counter to Taqet and Russel, who state that Ouranosaurus was the "dominant element in the assemblage." Other herbivores from the same formation include Ouranosaurus , Elrhazosaurus , and an unnamed titanosaur . It also lived alongside the theropods Kryptops , Suchomimus , Eocarcharia , and Afromimus . Crocodylomorphs like Sarcosuchus , Anatosuchus , Araripesuchus , and Stolokrosuchus also lived there. In addition, remains of

2520-469: The French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656–1708) is considered "the founder of the modern concept of genera". The scientific name (or the scientific epithet) of a genus is also called the generic name ; in modern style guides and science, it is always capitalised. It plays a fundamental role in binomial nomenclature , the system of naming organisms , where it is combined with the scientific name of

2590-761: The Greek word for lizard. The specific epithet nigeriensis alludes to Niger , its country of discovery (in Latin, the adjectival suffix -iensis means "originating from"). And so, Ouranosaurus nigeriensis could be interpreted as "brave lizard originating from Niger". Five French palaeontological expeditions were undertaken in the Gadoufaoua region of the Sahara Desert in Niger between 1965 and 1972 and led by French palaeontologist Philippe Taquet . These deposits come from GAD 5,

2660-448: The afformentioned sail-backed reptiles and amphibians) the spines actually become thicker distally and flatten. The posterior spines were also bound together by ossified tendons, which stiffened the back. Finally, the spine length peaks over the forelimbs. The first four dorsal vertebrae are unknown; the fifth already bears a 32-centimetre-long spine (1.05 ft) that is pointed and slightly hooked; Taquet presumed it might have anchored

2730-485: The attachment point for the large retractor muscles connected to the tail base, was weakly developed. The foot was narrow with only three toes and relatively long. In the pelvis , the prepubis was very large, rounded and directed obliquely upwards. Taquet originally assigned Ouranosaurus to the Iguanodontidae , within the larger Iguanodontia . However, although it shares some similarities with Iguanodon (such as

2800-442: The base for higher taxonomic ranks, such as the family name Canidae ("Canids") based on Canis . However, this does not typically ascend more than one or two levels: the order to which dogs and wolves belong is Carnivora ("Carnivores"). The numbers of either accepted, or all published genus names is not known precisely; Rees et al., 2020 estimate that approximately 310,000 accepted names (valid taxa) may exist, out of

2870-419: The eyes, from which the larger capiti-mandibularis muscle was attached to the coronoid process on the lower jaw bone. Small rounded horns in front of its eyes made Ouranosaurus the only known horned ornithopod . The back of the skull was rather narrow and could not compensate for the lack of a greater area of attachment for the jaw muscle, that the openings normally would provide, allowing for more power and

Ouranosaurus - Misplaced Pages Continue

2940-418: The fifth metacarpal , reduced to a spur, could no longer be directed sideways. The hindlimbs were large and robust to accommodate the weight of the body and strong enough to allow a bipedal walk. The femur was slightly longer than the tibia . This may indicate that the legs were used as pillars, and not for sprinting . Taquet concluded that Ouranosaurus was not a good runner because the fourth trochanter,

3010-446: The form "author, year" in zoology, and "standard abbreviated author name" in botany. Thus in the examples above, the genus Canis would be cited in full as " Canis Linnaeus, 1758" (zoological usage), while Hibiscus , also first established by Linnaeus but in 1753, is simply " Hibiscus L." (botanical usage). Each genus should have a designated type , although in practice there is a backlog of older names without one. In zoology, this

3080-727: The generic name (or its abbreviated form) still forms the leading portion of the scientific name, for example, Canis lupus lupus for the Eurasian wolf subspecies, or as a botanical example, Hibiscus arnottianus ssp. immaculatus . Also, as visible in the above examples, the Latinised portions of the scientific names of genera and their included species (and infraspecies, where applicable) are, by convention, written in italics . The scientific names of virus species are descriptive, not binomial in form, and may or may not incorporate an indication of their containing genus; for example,

3150-672: The hadrosaurids. It is thus a basal hadrosauriform. The simplified cladogram below follows an analysis by Andrew McDonald and colleagues, published in November 2010 with information from McDonald, 2011. Rhabdodontidae Tenontosaurus Dryosauridae Camptosaurus Cumnoria Uteodon Hippodraco Theiophytalia Cedrorestes Dakotadon Iguanacolossus Lanzhousaurus Iguanodon Mantellisaurus Ouranosaurus Hadrosauroidea The jaws were apparently operated by relatively weak muscles. Ouranosaurus had only small temporal openings behind

3220-432: The idea that a newly defined genus should fulfill these three criteria to be descriptively useful: Moreover, genera should be composed of phylogenetic units of the same kind as other (analogous) genera. The term "genus" comes from Latin genus , a noun form cognate with gignere ('to bear; to give birth to'). The Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus popularized its use in his 1753 Species Plantarum , but

3290-628: The largest component, with 23,236 ± 5,379 accepted genus names, of which 20,845 ± 4,494 are angiosperms (superclass Angiospermae). By comparison, the 2018 annual edition of the Catalogue of Life (estimated >90% complete, for extant species in the main) contains currently 175,363 "accepted" genus names for 1,744,204 living and 59,284 extinct species, also including genus names only (no species) for some groups. The number of species in genera varies considerably among taxonomic groups. For instance, among (non-avian) reptiles , which have about 1180 genera,

3360-415: The lizard genus Anolis has been suggested to be broken down into 8 or so different genera which would bring its ~400 species to smaller, more manageable subsets. Coracoid A coracoid (from Greek κόραξ, koraks , raven ) is a paired bone which is part of the shoulder assembly in all vertebrates except therian mammals ( marsupials and placentals ). In therian mammals (including humans ),

3430-407: The maximum height, although the skull is proportionally wider than related Mantellisaurus . Bones of the snout are more loosely articulated with each other than the bones of the posterior skull. The premaxillae are 46.0 cm (18.1 in) long, with very deep external nares as in other iguanodontians. Anteriorly , the premaxillae flare gently laterally into a rugose surface for

3500-403: The most (>300) have only 1 species, ~360 have between 2 and 4 species, 260 have 5–10 species, ~200 have 11–50 species, and only 27 genera have more than 50 species. However, some insect genera such as the bee genera Lasioglossum and Andrena have over 1000 species each. The largest flowering plant genus, Astragalus , contains over 3,000 species. Which species are assigned to a genus

3570-428: The name could not be used for both. Johann Friedrich Blumenbach published the replacement name Ornithorhynchus in 1800. However, a genus in one kingdom is allowed to bear a scientific name that is in use as a generic name (or the name of a taxon in another rank) in a kingdom that is governed by a different nomenclature code. Names with the same form but applying to different taxa are called "homonyms". Although this

SECTION 50

#1732856217340

3640-454: The offer and subsequently mounted the skeleton in 1975 at the Museo di Storia Naturale di Venezia . Taquet formally described the two mostly-complete specimens MNHN GDF 300 and MNHN GDF 381 from the first and fourth expeditions as Ouranosaurus nigeriensis in 1976 , along with a referred coracoid and femur that bore the numbers MNHN GDF 301 and MNHN GDF 302 respectively. MNHN GDF 300 was made

3710-418: The posterior end of the maxilla, which is unlike hadrosaurids where there is more overlap. The dental edge of the maxilla is slightly arced, and above the toothrow is a shallow depression bearing nutrient foramina , also known as the buccal emargination that is diagnostic of Ornithischia . 20 teeth are preserved in the maxilla, although the anterior end of the toothrow is broken and Taquet (1976) predicted

3780-436: The premaxilla in front, lacrimal above, ectopterygoid , vomer , palatine and possibly pterygoid internally, and jugal to the rear. The lacrimal process is the highest point of the maxilla, and behind this process is a smooth and curved margin for the antorbital fenestra , which is bounded by the maxilla in front and below, lacrimal above, and jugal behind. The jugal overlaps only

3850-526: The provisions of the ICZN Code, e.g., incorrect original or subsequent spellings, names published only in a thesis, and generic names published after 1930 with no type species indicated. According to "Glossary" section of the zoological Code, suppressed names (per published "Opinions" of the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature) remain available but cannot be used as the valid name for

3920-766: The same phylogenetic groups as higher body size, although their relationship is unclear. Ouranosaurus is a similar size to more basal Tenontosaurus which has slow growth, so either faster growth is caused by body size or Tenontosaurus is the maximum size of an ornithopod with a slow growth rate. Ouranosaurus is known from the Elrhaz Formation of the Tegama Group in an area called Gadoufaoua, located in Niger. Only two mostly complete skeletons and up to 3 additional individuals have been found. The Elrhaz Formation consists mainly of fluvial sandstones with low relief, much of which

3990-458: The scapula (shoulder blade) and the coracoid, both of which directly articulated with the clavicle . In fish, it provides the base for the pectoral fin . Monotremes , as well as the extinct therapsids , possess both the coracoid bone of reptiles (aka the procoracoid , or anterior coracoid ), and the coracoid process of other mammals , with the latter being present as a separate bone. This human musculoskeletal system article

4060-497: The specific name particular to the wolf. A botanical example would be Hibiscus arnottianus , a particular species of the genus Hibiscus native to Hawaii. The specific name is written in lower-case and may be followed by subspecies names in zoology or a variety of infraspecific names in botany . When the generic name is already known from context, it may be shortened to its initial letter, for example, C. lupus in place of Canis lupus . Where species are further subdivided,

4130-412: The standard format for a species name comprises the generic name, indicating the genus to which the species belongs, followed by the specific epithet, which (within that genus) is unique to the species. For example, the gray wolf 's scientific name is Canis lupus , with Canis ( Latin for 'dog') being the generic name shared by the wolf's close relatives and lupus (Latin for 'wolf') being

4200-536: The tail the spines gradually shorten. The dorsal "sail" is usually explained as either functioning as a system for thermoregulation or a display structure. An alternative hypothesis is that the back might have carried a hump consisting of muscle tissue or fat, resembling that of a bison or camel , rather than a sail. It could have been used for energy storage to survive a lean season. The axial column consisted of eleven neck vertebrae, seventeen dorsal vertebrae, six sacral vertebrae and forty tail vertebrae. The tail

4270-403: The taxon is termed a synonym ; some authors also include unavailable names in lists of synonyms as well as available names, such as misspellings, names previously published without fulfilling all of the requirements of the relevant nomenclatural code, and rejected or suppressed names. A particular genus name may have zero to many synonyms, the latter case generally if the genus has been known for

SECTION 60

#1732856217340

4340-407: The total number to be 22. Many of the central bones of the skull are the same form as those of hadrosaurids or related iguanodontians like Iguanodon and Mantellisaurus . The jugal below and behind the orbit bears the same shape as in hadrosaurids, with a high rear process, and articulated with the quadratojugal and quadrate that are also very similar to more derived taxa. As in other ornithopods ,

4410-566: The values quoted are the mean of "accepted" names alone (all "uncertain" names treated as unaccepted) and "accepted + uncertain" names (all "uncertain" names treated as accepted), with the associated range of uncertainty indicating these two extremes. Within Animalia, the largest phylum is Arthropoda , with 151,697 ± 33,160 accepted genus names, of which 114,387 ± 27,654 are insects (class Insecta). Within Plantae, Tracheophyta (vascular plants) make up

4480-429: The virus species " Salmonid herpesvirus 1 ", " Salmonid herpesvirus 2 " and " Salmonid herpesvirus 3 " are all within the genus Salmonivirus ; however, the genus to which the species with the formal names " Everglades virus " and " Ross River virus " are assigned is Alphavirus . As with scientific names at other ranks, in all groups other than viruses, names of genera may be cited with their authorities, typically in

4550-414: The walking hypothesis, the wrist was large and its component bones fused together to prevent its dislocation . The last digit (number 5) was long. In related species the fifth finger is presumed to have been prehensile: used for picking food like leaves and twigs or to help lower the food by lowering branch to a manageable height. Taquet assumed that with Ouranosaurus this function had been lost because

4620-419: The wide beak on the other hand indicates a specialisation in eating large amounts of low quality fodder. Ouranosaurus lived in a river delta . Ouranosaurus bears more similarities to other derived iguanodonts than more basal ornithopods. Remodeling is present in the subadult paratype, and high vascular density and circumferential arrangement of the microstructure suggests fast growth. Faster growth occurs in

4690-533: Was also given the field number GDF 381. This specimen was collected and taken to the MNHN by the fifth expedition in 1972 . Following a subsequent Italian-French expedition led by Taquet and Italian palaeontologist Giancarlo Ligabue that turned up a potential additional iguanodontian specimen, Ligabue offered to donate the nearly complete specimen and a skull of Sarcosuchus to the Municipality of Venice , which accepted

4760-526: Was not mentioned as having been sent to Venice and renumbered as MSNVE 3714, although this was confirmed by Italian palaeontologist Filippo Bertozzo and colleagues in 2017 . The holotype itself was returned to Niger after being described and having its bones cast and mounted, and is now on display at the Musée National Boubou Hama in Niamey . The generic name Ouranosaurus carries a double meaning, it

4830-462: Was recategorized with the number MNHN GDF 1700 and then later described in 1999 as the holotype of the new taxon Lurdusaurus arenatus . While the third expedition did not turn up additional iguanodontian material, the fourth in January–March 1970 uncovered a nearly complete and partially articulated skeleton lacking the skull, 4 km (2.5 mi) south of the "niveau des Innocents" site, and

4900-449: Was relatively short. The front limbs were rather long with 55% of the length of the hind limbs. A quadrupedal stance would have been possible. The humerus was very straight. The hand was lightly built, short and broad. On each hand Ouranosaurus bore a thumb claw or spike that was much smaller than that of the earlier Iguanodon . The second and third digits were broad and hoof -like, and anatomically were good for walking. To support

#339660