New Dinosaur Discovery in Zimbabwe: Mini
Paleontologists have identified a new species of sauropodomorph dinosaur, named Musango matusadonaensis, discovered near Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe. The dinosaur lived approximately 210 million years ago and provides new insights into the evolution of early sauropodomorphs.
Why it matters
This discovery contributes to the growing body of knowledge regarding the diversity and distribution of early dinosaurs in southern Africa.
On the shores of the fake lake Kariba, a reservoir straddling the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, another new species of dinosaur has been discovered – a new sauropodomorph.
"Sauropodomorph" just means lizard-footed. The earliest sauropodomorphs lived about 230 million years ago and were small, about one or two meters long; weighed about as much as a turkey; and were apparently bipedal. They were omnivores or even possibly actual carnivores, paleontologists believe.
They were relatives of the great giant herbivores of the dinosaur world – the long-necked sauropods that also began to emerge about 230 million years ago, like Diplodocus, or Supersaurus, which reached as much as 34 meters in length (112 feet).
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