Researchers discover new dinosaur species in Zimbabwe

HARARE, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Researchers have discovered a new species of dinosaur from fossils unearthed near Lake Kariba in northern Zimbabwe, the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe told Xinhua on Friday.

The dinosaur, named Musango matusadonaensis, is the fifth dinosaur species formally identified in the country.

According to the paper published Tuesday in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, the partial skeleton of the dinosaur was excavated in 2018 near Musango Island. The fossil is among the most complete skeletons of its age found in Zimbabwe.

The name honors the local Musango Concession Area and adjacent Matusadona National Park. Musango is a local Shona word, meaning "living in the bush," the paper said.

"Based on observations made during excavation, the dinosaur was originally identified as a nondinosaurian archosaur, but preparation and further study revealed that it was a sauropodomorph dinosaur," it noted.

Dating back about 210 million years to the Late Triassic period, Musango was a two-legged sauropodomorph, an early relative of later giant long-necked dinosaurs such as Diplodocus.

A study of the Musango fossils, including bones from the spine, arms and feet, reveals the dinosaur was nearly fully grown when it died at about eight years old.

"Osteohistology reveals that the type specimen was either a late sub-adult or adult, with a mass of around 220 kg," the paper said, adding that the roughly 4.5-meter-long omnivore fed on plants and meat, including crocodile-like phytosaurs, lungfish and smaller dinosaurs.

According to the paper, the discovery suggests that southern Africa hosted several distinct prehistoric ecosystems, with many more dinosaur species remaining undiscovered across the continent. ■