The Tiouraren Formation is a geological formation in Niger whose strata were originally thought to be Early Cretaceous. However, re-interpretation of the sediments showed that they are probably mid-Jurassic in age. It was a well watered woodland.

Afrovenator a megalosaurid from the mid Jurassic Period of northern Africa. It was bipedal with a mouthful of sharp teeth and three claws on each hand. This dinosaur was estimated at 30 feet long, from snout to tail tip, and a weight of about 1.5 tons. Relative to other large predators such as Allosaurus, Afrovenator’s skull is low, with poorly developed cranial crests and rugosities, and the skeleton is also relatively gracile. The humerus is somewhat longer than in Allosaurus. Its jaw contained about 60 blade-shaped, serrated teeth, 2 in long. The remains were found in association with the sauropod Jobaria. Afrovenator is more similar to northern American theropods such as Allosaurus than to South American types.

Jobaria is a primitive macronarian sauropod with a relatively short and flexible neck and broad teeth. Its skull is smaller and lighter than that of Camarasaurus, with particularly large external nostrils. The forelimbs are primitive in proportions, and shorter than the hindlimb. It is found in association with Afrovenator and other small indefinite theropods, is the dominate vertebrate and the only large herbivore in the area. It was a medium to high browser not able to feed at ground level.

Spinophorosaurus is a mid-sized basal sauropod most closely related to Tazoudasaurus and the Asian mamenchisaurids such as Shunosaurus. It is unusual for having spiked osteoderms, probably from the tail, similar to the famed spikes on stegosaurs.

Copyright © 2012 All Rights Reserved