The dinosaur, whose skeleton is almost 90 percent intact, is a species of ‘sauropodomorph’ that stood on two legs.
A new species of dinosaur discovered in Zimbabwe is the oldest found in Africa to date. This was reported by the research team responsible for the discovery last Thursday.
The dinosaur, known by its scientific name Mbiresaurus raathi, it was found following excavations that began in 2017 during an expedition to the remote northern district of Mbirein the Zambezi valley of the African country.
The name refers to ‘Mbire’, the district in which the creature’s remains were discovered. It also pays tribute to paleontologist Michael Raath, who first published fossil studies from the area.
“These are the oldest known definitive dinosaurs in Africa, roughly equivalent in age to the oldest dinosaurs found anywhere in the world“said the team, led by American scientist Christopher Griffin, from Yale University.
The dinosaur, whose skeleton is almost 90 percent intact, is a species of sauropodomorph that stood on two legs. Likewise it reached a height of between 1 and 1.5 meters and had a long neck and a small head.
“The only important bones missing are some of the hand and parts of the skull,” the researchers explained.
The oldest dinosaur in Africa lived during the Late Triassic, regarding 230 million years ago.
At that moment, All the continents of the world formed Pangea, the supercontinent that later began to fragment into land masses separated by the oceans..
Zimbabwe was then in line with northern Argentina, southern Brazil and India, the scientists said.
Along with the new dinosaur skeleton, the research team discovered other fossils that included ancient reptiles known. Among them rhynchosaurs and the first ancestors of mammals and crocodiles, known as cynodonts and ethosaurs, respectively.
These remains are very similar to fossils dating from the same period discovered in deposits in Argentina, Brazil and India.
The research team, whose findings were published in the Nature magazinehopes to discover more fossils in the Mbire district.
“A considerable number of fossil sites have been discovered and further exploration will take place.”, stressed the scientists.
Good news for Africa
Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan, a paleontologist at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, who is not part of the study, said the dinosaur’s discovery was good news for Africa.
“I believe that Africa still has many more dinosaurs that will be discovered the more paleontologists start looking for them.Chinsamy-Turan told Efe.
The Mbire district occupies an area where the Australian company Invictus will carry out significant oil and gas exploration.
Chinsamy-Turan said mining activities can sometimes help uncover new fossil beds, though he hopes precautions have been taken to protect prehistoric riches in the area.
“I sincerely hope that paleontological and environmental impact assessments have been carried out, and that firm agreements are in place to ensure that the ecology is protected and that any fossils discovered are properly excavated and taken to a museum for safety and study,” added the paleontologist. .
