The Ouranosaurus was a duck-billed dinosaur that lived in Africa in the Late Cretaceous Period. When paleontologist Phillipe Taquet found Ouranosaurus fossils in 1965, no one in the world had every seen anything like it. This herbivorous dinosaur had a sail on top of its back that may have helped it swim.
Table of Contents
Some Quick Facts about the Ouranosaurus
| Name | Ouranosaurus (meaning “Brave Lizard”) |
| Type of dinosaur | Hadrosauriform Ornithopoda/Ornithischia |
| Territory | Grass plains, tidal flats, and mangrove forests surrounded by water in Niger and Cameroon, North Africa |
| Size | Relatively big, 18 feet tall and 23-27 feet long |
| Color | Thick and scaly skin, dark brown/greenish, with zebra-like pattern on the hump |
| Interesting Characteristics | Short neck. A large hump or sail that ran from neck to mid-tail. |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Major Threats | Climate change and natural disasters |
The Ouranosaurus was a Cretaceous dinosaur found in North Africa. This dino was a quadrupedal Ornithopod dino with a hump or sail extending from the base of its short neck halfway down the tail.
While the Ouranosaurus wasn’t very fast, many scientists believe the sail on its back helped it swim, just like the carnivorous Spinosaurus.
Was the Ouranosaurus Related to the Iguanodon?
Paleontologist Taquet originally had Ouranosaurus in the Iguanodontidae family due to the many similarities between it and the Iguanodon. During the time that the Ouranosaurus was considered an Iguanodontid, the Iguanodon and Ouranosaurus were thought to be closely related.
After further study, scientists don’t believe Iguanodon and Ouranosaurus are closely related.
Scientists now believe that the Ouranosaurus isn’t an Iguanodont at all, but a basal (early) hadrosaur. Hadrosauriforms are dinos with mouths shaped like duck bills.
Because the Ouranosaurus is now classified as a Hadrosaur, its closest relatives are other hadrosaurs like the Hadrosaurus and Parasaurolophus.
Did the Ouranosaurus Have a Hump?
The Ouranosaurus had a large hump along its entire back. It’s sometimes called a sail but didn’t look anything like the sail fin of the Dimetrodon. The Ouranosaurus’ hump was more like a camel’s hump.
The hump was formed by long neural spines. This hump likely served many purposes, like display for mating. The Ouranosaurus’ hump would also help it regulate heat.
And some scientists even believe that the hump helped the Ouranosaurus swim in order to get to the grasses and plants that grew along the coast near where the Ouranosaurus lived.
What Dinos Lived with the Ouranosaurus?
There were two other herbivorous dinosaurs that also lived in Niger when the Ouranosaurus roamed the Earth.
The Nigersaurus and Afrotitan lived around the same time as the Ouranosaurus. Like many herbivores, these three dinosaurs would’ve stayed in herds for safety from carnivorous dinos.
Theropods and Crocodylomorphs were common predators in North Africa when the Ouranosaurus was around. The Baryonyx, Carcharodontosaurus, Eococharia, Sarcosuchus, and Suchomimus all preyed on Ouranosaurs.
Spinosaurs also lived in the area, but these semi-aquatic dinos preferred to hunt giant sawfish and other prehistoric creatures that lived in the water.
What Did the Ouranosaurus Eat?
The Ouranosaurus ate plant materials such as leaves, fruit, and seeds (much like Microceratus). During the Cretaceous Period, Niger was surrounded by water, so the Ouranosaurus would also eat wetland plants and seagrasses.
The Ouranosaurus’ back legs were extra strong, which meant an Ouranosaurus could also stand on its hind legs to reach food from taller trees.
Ouranosaurs had weak jaws but were able to use their teeth to chew up high-quality plant-based foods. Like most herbivorous dinosaurs, when good quality food wasn’t available, the Ouranosaurus ate whatever it could find. An Ouranosaurus needed large amounts of food to live, so this slow-moving dino was constantly eating!
The Ouranosaurus was a very unique dino with lots of creature physical features that helped it survive. While its hump was remarkable, the Ouranosaurus also had horns in front of its eyes.
In fact, the Ouranosaurus is the only known ornithopod to have horns. The Ouranosaurus really was a one-of-a-kind dino.
Was Ouranosaurus aggressive?
While it was slow, this dinosaur was dangerous and very aggressive. It often fought for its territory and kept other dinos away.