Ouranosaurus

* Evolution 2
* Camp Cretaceous
* Database
* Database
* Evolution

* Evolution 2
* Evolution

***Ouranosaurus*** is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that originated from Early Cretaceous Africa. A basal hadrosaur, *Ouranosaurus* also possesses a hump-like sail on its back, similar to that of the *Acrocanthosaurus* and *Spinosaurus*.

Upon completion of the Claire's Sanctuary story missions, *Ouranosaurus* becomes available in the main campaign by progressing through the Entertainment Division on Isla Sorna, where its fossils can subsequently be excavated in the Tegama Beds.

## History

*Ouranosaurus* was recreated by InGen for Jurassic World on Isla Nublar. Several members of the species remained alive on the island in the aftermath of the park's abandonment in 2015, and were encountered by the survivors of Camp Cretaceous; Jurassic World's resident summer camp.

## Characteristics

A large iguanodont dinosaur measuring over eight meters in length and weighing almost two and a half tons that lived in what is now Niger in Africa during from the Early Cretaceous Period, *Ouranosaurus* has a hadrosaur-like snout and tall neural spines that runs along its entire back and tail. These spines support a large hump-like sail, similar to those of *Spinosaurus*. And like *Spinosaurus,* the exact purpose of this sail is not known - hypotheses include display, thermoregulation, or energy storage. Its name translates to "*Courageous Monitor Lizard*". *Ouranosaurus* features a spiked thumb, that, whilst much smaller than that of the *Iguanodon*, could have been used for defense or in food consumption. Along with its horned beak, the cheeks of the *Ouranosaurus* contain a row of flat teeth that would have been used to chew tougher plant and leaves that made up their diet. Its base genome is a gradient color scheme that goes from dark brown to brick red with a light cream underbelly.

### Behaviour

*Ouranosaurus* is a very social animal that can live in a herd with up to twelve individuals, and twenty dinosaurs of varying species. It can not live without a pair otherwise it will break out of its enclosure and cause guest injuries. Unlike *Iguanodon*, it cannot defend itself and thus should not be mixed with predatory dinosaurs.

In addition to eating from Ground Herbivore Feeders, with the Claire's Sanctuary expansion pack, *Ouranosaurus* benefit from Rotten Wood in a Ground Paleofeeder, with a secondary preference for Conifers.

## Paleontology

The holotype specimen of *Ouranosaurus* was discovered by French paleontologist Philippe Taquet in 1965 in the Upper Elrhaz Formation, at a site near Gadoufaoua, an area in Niger's Tenere desert, when his team unearthed multiple iguanodont skeletons that had no previous classification. Gadoufaoua is the site of other notable fossil discoveries, such as *Sarcosuchus imperator*, an extinct, distant relative of modern crocodilians. In Tuareg, a local language, the name "*Gadoufaoua*" means "*where camels fear to tread*". The animal was named by its discoverer, paleontologist Philippe Taquet, after the Tuareg word "*Ourane*", meaning "*monitor lizard*". To the Tuareg, the monitor lizard is a sacred animal. Further remains were unearthed in subsequent years, and in 1976 two of the most complete skeletons were officially described as a new genus and given the name *Ouranosaurus*. Originally assigned to Iguanodontidae due to superficial similarities, specifically the thumb spikes, recent studies suggest that *Ouranosaurus* is placed in Hadrosauriformes, or otherwise called a basal hadrosaur. Compared to *Iguanodon*, the skull of *Ouranosaurus* is longer and flatter, with more similarities to hadrosaurs such as *Edmontosaurus*. Another feature of the skull is a pair of horns above its eyes, which may have been used as a display. Other similar horns can be found on *Albertosaurus* and *Maiasaura*.

The most famous feature of *Ouranosaurus* is the tall neural spines. At first, these spines were thought to support a display sail like that of the *Spinosaurus*, but recent analysis suggests they are too thick to support a sail and resemble vertebrae of bison and camels. Most modern reconstructions, therefore, give it a fatty hump instead.

### Paleoecology

Found in the Elrhaz Formation in Niger where the environment consisted of fluvial sandstones and sand dunes, *Ouranosaurus* lived on the floodplains of Africa during the Early Cretaceous period, around 100-110 million years ago, and tended to stay close to rivers where there was plenty of vegetation. Nowadays, Gadoufaoua is a hot and dry desert, but when *Ouranosaurus* was alive it would have been a freshwater, fluvial environment, with a humid, tropical climate. Grasses did not evolve until the Late Cretaceous, so *Ouranosaurus'* diet was likely largely composed of conifers. Here, it lived alongside a wide variety of dinosaurs during this period, including the spinosaur *Suchomimus*, the sauropod *Nigersaurus*, the ornithomimosaur *Afromimus*, as well as the ornithopods *Lurdusaurus* and *Elrhazosaurus*. The main predators to *Ouranosaurus* were the theropods *Kryptops*, *Suchomimus*, and *Eocarcharia*, the latter being an ancestor of *Carcharodontosaurus*. As well as these land-based threats, there was also a large crocodylomorph; named *Sarcosuchus* in the water.

## Skins

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## Gallery

VideosSpecies Profile - Ouranosaurus
Images
## References

1. ↑ Lueras, L., Kreamer, S., Spielberg, S., Trevorrow, C., Marshall, F. (Executive Producers). (2020–2022). *Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous* [TV series]. Universal Pictures; DreamWorks Animation Television.