In a rare discovery, researchers have discovered the fossils of a completely new dinosaur species on the shoreline of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe.
This rare find, which has been named Musankwa Sanyatiensis, is the fourth dinosaur species found in Zimbabwe.
What does the fossil of Musankwa Sanyatiensis tell us about this species?
The remains of Musankwa Sanyatiensis included a single hind leg, including its thigh, shin, and ankle bones.
"Based on where it sits on the dinosaur family tree, Musanwka Sanyantiensis is the first dinosaur of its kind from Zimbabwe.
In a rare discovery, researchers have discovered the fossils of a completely new dinosaur species on the shoreline of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe.
This rare find, which has been named Musankwa Sanyatiensis, is the fourth dinosaur species found in Zimbabwe. The research regarding this find has been published in Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.
An international team comprising scientists from Stony Brook University in New York, the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa and headed by the Natural History Museum's Prof Paul Barrett conducted the study in London.
Musankwa Sanyatiensis has emerged as an important discovery since it is the first dinosaur which has been named from the Mid-Zambezi Basin of northern Zimbabwe in the last 50 years.
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The rocks which yielded this new specimen of dinosaur go back to the Late Triassic period, which was nearly 210 million years ago.
What does the fossil of Musankwa Sanyatiensis tell us about this species?
The remains of Musankwa Sanyatiensis included a single hind leg, including its thigh, shin, and ankle bones.
Assistant professor at Stony Brook University Dr. Kimberley "Kimi" Chapelle said, "Despite the limited fossil material, these bones possess unique features that distinguish them from those of other dinosaurs living at the same time."
In the evolutionary analysis, it was revealed that Musankwa Sanyatiensis was a member of the Sauropodomorpha, which is a group of long-necked, bipedal dinosaurs that were widespread in the Late Triassic.
This species, interestingly, appeared to be closely related to its contemporaries in Argentina and South Africa.
Musankwa Sanyatiensis was one of the largest dinosaurs of its era. It weighed around 390 kg and ate plants.
The discovery of the new species also emphasises on the region's untapped potential for further paleontological discoveries.
Watch: Scientists predict Atlantic Hurricane "The main reason for the underrepresentation of African dinosaur fossils is 'undersampling. Put simply, there have been fewer people looking for and unearthing dinosaurs in comparison with other regions of the world," said Barrett, as reported by phys.org.
"Over the last six years, many new fossil sites have been recorded in Zimbabwe, yielding a diverse array of prehistoric animals, including the first sub-Saharan mainland African phytosaurs (ancient crocodile-like reptiles), metoposaurid amphibians (giant armoured amphibians), lungfish, and other reptile remains," he added.
With the excavation of more fossil sites, the hope of making significant finds has increased which researchers believe will shed light on dinosaurs' early evolution and the ecosystems they lived in.
"Based on where it sits on the dinosaur family tree, Musanwka Sanyantiensis is the first dinosaur of its kind from Zimbabwe. It, therefore, highlights the potential of the region for further paleontological discoveries," Dr Chapelle said.
(With inputs from agencies)
