Ouranosaurus was an herbivorous iguanodont. It lived during the Late Cretaceous about 125 to 93.9 million years ago in what is now Africa. It was a plant-eating herbivorous dinosaur that navigated with sails. Ouranosaurus was the main plant eater of its time, with many cheek teeth that were used for leaves, fruits, seeds and other plant material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The long spiny vertebrae formed the sail on the spine. It had a large sail of more than 2 feet that was probably used to regulate temperature in the hot African environment or to attract mates and chase away rivals. Spines protruded from its entire back and part of its tail like Spinosaurus and were covered by skin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a large ornithopod that measured about 7 meters in length and weighed about 4 tons. It was a powerfully built animal that walked mainly on its sturdy hind legs. The front legs were smaller than the hind legs. Ouranosaurus had used its hind legs for fast running. In addition, it had a sharp thumb tip that had been a dangerous weapon against any predator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This dinosaur had a huge head and long jaws. It had probably used its huge jaws for chewing. It had a snout covered by a horny beak. Only Ouranosaurus had a pair of low, broad protrusions over its eyes along the top of the snout that were used for display, much like the small horns of some antelopes. Male ouranosaurs had used it for head-butting or to defend territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ouranosaurus fossils found in Niger and surrounding areas in Africa; It was named by French paleontologist Phillippe Taquet in 1976. Ouranosaurus means \"brave lizard\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n