Scientists are sharing the details of a newly discovered dinosaur, 'Musango'
The 5-foot dinosaur adds evidence that southern Africa’s ancient ecosystems were more diverse than scientists once believed, said lead author Paul Barrett.
- In July, Professor Paul Barrett named a new dinosaur species, Musango matusadonaensis, discovered on the shore of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe; the 4.5-meter-long herbivore lived 210 million years ago.
- Until recently, paleontologists assumed dinosaurs across southern Africa were largely identical, but this discovery reveals that the ancient supercontinent Gondwana contained diverse ecosystems, challenging previous uniformity assumptions.
- Navigating logistical challenges, Barrett and comparative biology professor Choiniere probed sites 31 miles from the nearest town near Matusadona National Park, often encountering local wildlife.
- This specimen represents only the fifth dinosaur species ever named in Zimbabwe, with fossils permanently housed at the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe for long-term research.
- Researchers hope to "fill in the paleontological map" of southern Africa during future expeditions to Lake Kariba in 2027, as Barrett and Choiniere believe this discovery is "100% the tip of the iceberg.
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16 Articles
An international team of researchers discovered a new type of dinosaurs in Zimbabwe, after studying fossils found in 2018 on the banks of Lake Kariba.
The new species, which lived in Gondwana about 210 million years ago, is shown among the early relatives of long-necked giants such as Diplodocus. While the dinosaur, called Musango matusadonaensis, is estimated to be 4.5 meters long and 222 kilograms in weight, scientists point out that Africa has a huge fossil potential that has not yet been discovered.
A window where an international team of scientists arrived at a new type of dinosaurs found traces years ago in Zimbabwe, in a discovery highlighting the vast and unexplored potential of fossils in Africa...
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