Ouranosaurus

This is a North African Iguanodontid, that has distinctive features not seen on any other Iguanodontid. As a result of the Super-continent of Pangaea splitting apart, this type of Iguanodontid developed its own unique body structure. This small/medium-sized herbivore possessed a large 'sail', which ran down the backbone of the Dinosaur. Ouranosaurus walked upon its hind limbs, although in fairness the forelimbs seem to be have been long enough to have allowed the Iguanodontid to walked on all four limbs, also ending in hoof-like claws. Ouranosaurus has an elongated skull, which tapers down to a broad, level snout. This was covered by a small, duck-like beak. Equipped with large teeth arrayed in powerful battery, coupled with the strong muscular arrangement in the jaw, chewing plant matter was short work for this herbivore. It is thought that, like other 'sailback' Dinosaurs, (such as Spinosaurus Aeygpticus) that Ouranosaurus may have used its 'sail', to regulate its body temperate to an extent. What is meant by this, is that if the Dinosaur became too cold, it could pump blood into its 'sail', and in doing so, the blood absorbs heat. Warm blood returning to the body, would increase the temperature. Viceversa, the Ouranosaurus, could well withdraw the blood from the 'sail', and cool itself down when too hot. This is heat exchange, and in Ouranosaurus, it may have been done in the skin membrane that covered over, and connected on the bony projections that extended upwards from the backbone. Ouranosaurus, was over 7-9 metres long, and up to 2-3.5 tonnes in weight. This Iguanodontid lived in the lands of the Early Cretaceous of North Africa. Palaeontologists discovered this fine animal in Niger, in 1966 - in the Sahara Desert.