Previously Unknown 210-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Species Uncovered in Zimbabwe
Researchers have identified a new 210-million-year-old dinosaur species, Musango matusadonaensis, from fossils discovered in Zimbabwe. The discovery suggests that southern Africa hosted diverse ecosystems during the Late Triassic period, rather than a uniform environment.
Why it matters
This finding expands our understanding of prehistoric biodiversity and the evolutionary history of dinosaurs in Africa.
Save us as a preferred source in Google Share Share Share New dino alert! Researchers discovered a set of fossilized leg bones on the shore of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, which proved to be a previously unknown dinosaur. Although researchers uncovered the fossils in 2018, the species has only now been formally described.
The research, published in the Journal of Systematic Paleontology , has newly named the species Musango matusadonaensis . The study also estimates the dinosaur’s size and offers clues about how it died.
Additionally, the 210-million-year-old Musango matusadonaensis has provided researchers with more clues about what Africa was like when dinosaurs roamed. As the lead author of the study, Paul Barrett, explained, according to Phys.org , “It suggests that what we’ve found so far is only the tip of the iceberg.”
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