February 22, 2021

The 2022 Expedition to Niger aims to excavate some 25 tons of fossil material discovered on previous missions to the country. Expansive fossil-rich areas record a span of almost 100 million years to explore and dig in the heart of the Sahara. The earliest fossils are a series of sites spread across is a vast dusty plain speckled with Acacia trees and patches of rock dating back 180 million years. The youngest skeletons are from a new area of rocks dating back 90 million years with jaws and bones of the sail-backed predator Spinosaurus alongside the bones of several new long-necked sauropods. In between, are new sites with skeletons pertaining to the lower sail-backed spinosaurid Suchomimus and its nemesis, the giant crocodilian Sarcosuchus (aka SuperCroc).

2022 Expedition to Niger in planning Image

Beautiful sail-backed dinosaur skeleton awaiting full excavation in Niger