Scientists discover 210-million-year-old dinosaur in Zimbabwe
Fossil suggests early dinosaurs evolved across distinct ecosystems in southern Africa.
A newly identified dinosaur species from Zimbabwe is providing fresh insights into the early evolution of dinosaurs, with researchers saying the discovery suggests they diversified across distinct ecosystems in southern Africa more than 200 million years ago.
The species, Musango matusadonaensis, was identified from a remarkably complete skeleton unearthed on the shores of Lake Kariba in northern Zimbabwe in 2018. It is the fifth dinosaur species discovered in the country.
Researchers said the dinosaur lived around 210 million years ago during the Late Triassic period, when dinosaurs were beginning to spread across the Earth but had not yet become the dominant land animals.
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The findings, published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, challenge the long-held assumption that southern Africa's early dinosaur fauna was largely uniform.
"Until recently, it was assumed that the dinosaurs living across southern Africa were largely the same," said Paul Barrett, a researcher at the Natural History Museum in London. The discovery instead points to several distinct ecosystems, each supporting different dinosaur species.
Barrett said the finding suggests scientists have uncovered only "the tip of the iceberg" in understanding the region's prehistoric biodiversity.
Unlike the giant long-necked dinosaurs that appeared millions of years later, Musango was a lightly built animal measuring about 4.5 metres (15 feet) in length and weighing an estimated 222 kilogrammes (490 pounds). Its name comes from the local Shona word musango, meaning "living in the bush".
The fossil includes well-preserved bones from the spine, ribs, limbs and feet, making it one of the most complete dinosaur skeletons of its age found in Zimbabwe.
Researchers estimate the dinosaur was about eight years old and nearly fully grown when it died. Evidence from its bones suggests it had survived a serious injury or infection earlier in life.
Although its skull has not been found, scientists believe Musango was likely a herbivore or an omnivore that fed on vegetation growing along rivers and streams.
The discovery follows the 2022 identification of Mbiresaurus raathi, Africa's oldest known dinosaur, which lived around 230 million years ago in what is now Zimbabwe.
