Researchers say the remains date back to the Late Triassic period.
A remarkable fossil discovery in Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe has led researchers to name a new dinosaur species: Musankwa sanyatiensis.
Fossilized remains of the species, including a single hind leg, femur, jaw and ankle bones, were found embedded in a rock on the shores of the lake, according to the published study. Journal of Polish Archaeology Thursday.
Researchers say the remains date back to the Triassic period, about 210 million years ago.
After studying Musankwa Sanyatiensis, researchers note that the new species is among the Sauropodomorpha, a clade of long-necked dinosaurs that lived during the Late Triassic.
„Despite the limited fossil material, these bones have unique features that set them apart from other dinosaurs that lived at the same time,” said Dr Kimberly „Kimmy” Chappell, Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University and Honorary Fellow in the Institute for Evolutionary Studies at Wits. Press release Thursday for inspection.
The discovery of Musankwa Sanyatiensis marks the fourth dinosaur species to be named in Zimbabwe.
Previous discoveries from the African country include Syntarsus rhodesiensis in 1969, Vulcanodon caribensis in 1972 and Empresaurus rathi in 2022, according to the press release.
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe, Stony Brook University in New York and led by Professor Paul Barrett from the Natural History Museum in London.
In March 2024, a 70-million-year-old fossil turned out to be a complete skeleton of a long-necked titanosaur was discovered by a man walking his dog in France.
Damien Boschetto stumbled upon the massive skeleton in the woods of Montuliers near his home in the village of Crucy in southern France.
„Oddany rozwiązywacz problemów. Przyjazny hipsterom praktykant bekonu. Miłośnik kawy. Nieuleczalny introwertyk. Student.