Musankwa sanyatiensis, a new dinosaur from Zimbabwe discovered

Fossils discovered on the shores of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe represent a completely new species of dinosaur. This remarkable discovery, named Musankwa sanyatiensis, marks only the fourth dinosaur species named in Zimbabwe. The research detailing this important discovery is published in Polish paleontological journal.

The study was carried out by an international team of scientists from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, the Zimbabwe Natural History Museum and Stony Brook University in New York and led by Professor Paul Barrett of the Natural History Museum, London. .

The discovery of Musankwa sanyatiensis is particularly significant because it is the first named dinosaur in the middle Zambezi basin of northern Zimbabwe in more than 50 years. Additionally, it is only the fourth dinosaur named in Zimbabwe, following the descriptions of “Syntarsus” rhodesiensis in 1969, Vulcanodon karibaensis in 1972 and, most recently, Mbiresaurus raathi in 2022.

The rocks yielding this new specimen date back to the Upper Triassic period, around 210 million years ago. Musankwa sanyatiensis is represented by the remains of a single hind leg, including the thigh, tibia and ankle bones.

“Despite the limited number of fossils, these bones have unique characteristics that distinguish them from those of other dinosaurs living at the same time,” says Dr. Kimberley “Kimi” Chapelle, assistant professor at Stony Brook University and honorary associate at Evolutionary Studies. Institute at Wits.

The discovery was named Musankwa sanyatiensis in honor of the barge “Musankwa”. In the Tonga dialect, “Musankwa” means “boy close to marriage”. This vessel served as the research team’s home and mobile laboratory during two field expeditions to Lake Kariba in 2017 and 2018. The vessel was made available to the research team through the generosity of David and Julie Glynn and crew: Coster Katupu, Godfrey Swalika. , Simbarashe Mangoroma and Never Mapira, who provided essential logistical support.

Evolutionary analysis reveals that Musankwa sanyatiensis was a member of the Sauropodomorpha, a group of long-necked bipedal dinosaurs that were widespread during the late Triassic. Interestingly, this dinosaur appears to be closely related to its contemporaries in South Africa and Argentina. Weighing around 390 kg, the herbivorous Musankwa sanyatiensis was one of the largest dinosaurs of its time.

Africa has a long history of dinosaur discovery, with the first dinosaur in the southern hemisphere being discovered in South Africa just three years after the term “dinosaur” was coined by Sir Richard Owen in 1842. However, the Most known dinosaur fossils have been found in just 10 countries, particularly in the northern hemisphere, leading to a sparse representation of African dinosaur diversity in the global fossil record.

“The main reason for the underrepresentation of African dinosaur fossils is ‘undersampling,'” says Barrett. “Simply put, there have been fewer people searching for and digging up dinosaurs than in other parts of the world.”

Despite fewer discoveries in Africa, many of these fossils are of historical and scientific importance. These include some of the oldest dinosaurs, such as Nyasasaurus parringtoni from Tanzania and Mbiresaurus raathi from Zimbabwe, as well as rich dinosaur faunas from South Africa, Tanzania, Niger and Morocco.

Zimbabwe’s late Triassic and early Jurassic sediments are crucial to understanding the late Triassic extinction, a catastrophic event that radically reshaped terrestrial biodiversity around 200 million years ago. These different layers provide insight into how different fossil-bearing sediments from around the world correspond in terms of age and help piece together the overall picture of prehistoric life.

This new dinosaur species also highlights the region’s untapped potential for new paleontological discoveries. Barrett says: “Over the past six years, many new fossil sites have been recorded in Zimbabwe, producing a wide range of prehistoric animals, including the first phytosaurs of sub-Saharan continental Africa (ancient crocodile-like reptiles), metoposaurid amphibians (giant armor). amphibians), lungfish and other reptile remains.

As more fossil sites are explored and excavated, we can hope to uncover other important discoveries that will shed light on the early evolution of dinosaurs and the ecosystems they inhabited.

“Based on its position in the dinosaur family tree, Musanwka sanyantiensis is the first dinosaur of its species to originate from Zimbabwe,” explains Dr Kimi Chapelle. “This therefore highlights the region’s potential for new paleontological discoveries.”