Scientists discover 210-million-year-old dinosaur in Zimbabwe
Paleontologists have identified a new dinosaur species, Musango matusadonaensis, from 210-million-year-old fossils found in Zimbabwe. The discovery suggests that southern Africa hosted diverse ecosystems during the Late Triassic period.
Why it matters
This finding challenges previous assumptions about the uniformity of prehistoric ecosystems in southern Africa and provides new data on dinosaur evolution.
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Add as preferred source Composite figure of the preserved skeletal elements in the holotype specimen of Musango matusadonaensis. Credit: Journal of Systematic Palaeontology (2026). DOI: 10.1080/14772019.2026.2678610 A newly discovered dinosaur from Zimbabwe is offering fresh clues to how the animals diversified, suggesting they spread across distinct ecosystems in southern Africa, scientists said Wednesday.
The discovery of the new species, named Musango matusadonaensis, is based on a skeleton excavated on the shores of Lake Kariba in northern Zimbabwe in 2018 and is the fifth dinosaur identified from the country, they said.
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