from the formation
Gadoufaoua (
Tuareg for "the place where camels fear to go") is a site within the Elrhaz Formation (located at ) in the
Tenere desert of
Niger known for its extensive
fossil graveyard. It is where remains of
Sarcosuchus imperator, popularly known as
SuperCroc, were found (by
Paul Sereno in 1997, for example), including vertebrae, limb bones, armor plates, jaws, and a nearly complete skull. Today, Gadoufaoua is very hot and dry. However, 112 million years ago (based on the sedimentary and fossil record), Gadoufaoua had trees, plants, and wide rivers. The river covered the remains of dead animals, the fossilized remains of which were protected by the drying rivers over millions of years. == Vertebrate paleofauna ==