New dinosaur species from 210 million years ago found in Zimbabwe

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Harare: An international team of palaeontologists has identified Musankwa sanyatiensis, a new 210-million-year-old dinosaur species, from fossil remains found on Spurwing Island in Lake Kariba, northern Zimbabwe. The discovery, which dates back to the Late Triassic period, is just the fourth dinosaur species to be recognised in Zimbabwe and the first new dinosaur named in the country in almost 50 years.

The dinosaur belonged to the sauropodomorph group, which included the early relatives of the huge long-necked sauropods that dominated the Jurassic Period. Researchers recovered pieces of a hind limb, including the thigh, shin, and ankle bones, indicating that the animal was a tiny, two-legged herbivore that lived in marshy forests some 210 million years ago.

Scientists say the finding provides insights into the early evolution of dinosaurs in southern Africa and highlighted Zimbabwe's largely unknown fossil record. They believe the location could produce many more prehistoric discoveries, contributing to the filling of critical gaps in dinosaur evolution.