Ouranosaurus - Lost - Day 34
Jun. 12th, 2014 05:35 pm
Ouranosaurus nigeriensis is a basal hadrosaur from, as the name implies, what is today Nigeria. While I've given it a sail for display (and possibly thermoregulation as well) here, the odd shape of the vertebrae, with them becoming wider and flatter toward the tips, suggest a large fat-storing hump might also have been possible. As a hadrosaur, it was herbivorous, and like some other hadrosaurs, the first two toes on the front feet were flattened and thick at the ends, forming a hoof. Unlike Edmontosaurus, which I drew previously, Ouranosaurus retained its fourth and fifth fingers separate from the hoof, and the fifth finger especially seemed to remain flexible, possibly enabling the animal to grab onto hard-to-reach plants while shifting to a temporary bipedal stance. Like other hadrosaurs, such as Iguanodon, the thumb was modified into a spike, possibly for defense against predators and/or combat with other Ouranosaurs during territorial or breeding disputes.