A leg bone of Msankwa sanyatiensis found underground on Sparwing Island in Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. (Paul Barrett)
A new species of dinosaur has been unearthed in Zimbabwe, capturing the imagination of scientists and enthusiasts around the world.
The discovery, named Msankwa san'yatiensis, marks the fourth dinosaur species identified in the country and offers a fascinating glimpse into the continent's prehistoric past.
The species was discovered by a group of scientists who published their findings in the journal Nature. Polish Journal of Palaeontological Activity.
The international team included scientists from the University of the Witwatersrand, the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe and Stony Brook University in New York, and was led by Professor Paul Barrett of the Natural History Museum in London.
Researchers believe the dinosaur was bipedal (walked on two legs) and long-necked, and belonged to a group called sauropodomorphs, which are characterized by lizard-like features, long necks and herbivorous eating habits.
These dinosaurs were common during the Late Triassic Period, which began about 252 to 201 million years ago after life was wiped out by the worst extinction event in Earth's history, one of the most significant events in Earth's history. The cause of the extinction is still unknown.
The discovery is significant as Msankwa saniyatiensis is the first dinosaur to be discovered in the middle Zambezi River basin in northern Zimbabwe in over 50 years, following Sintharthus rodesiensis, Vulcanodon caribaensis and Mbiresaurus rahti, Africa's oldest known dinosaur, discovered in 2022.
Another aspect that makes this discovery interesting is that it appears to be related to other species found in South Africa and Argentina. The weight of this species was estimated to be around 400 kg, making it noteworthy as one of the largest of its time.
Based on the remains of one foot, including a femur, tibia, and ankle bone, the researchers believe the specimen dates to 210 million years ago.
“Despite the limited fossil material, these bones have unique characteristics that distinguish them from other dinosaur bones that lived at the same time,” said Dr Kimberly Chappell, assistant professor at Stony Brook University and emeritus research fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand's Institute of Evolutionary Studies.
Africa has a rich history of dinosaur discovery, but fossils have traditionally been found in the Northern Hemisphere. Because of this, African dinosaurs are found at an unequal rate worldwide. Barrett attributes this to under-sampling. “Simply put, there just weren't as many people digging and looking for dinosaurs compared to other parts of the world,” he says.
He said that while dinosaur finds are scarce on the continent, the discoveries are crucial in piecing together different eras of biodiversity millions of years ago.
According to a statement from the American Museum of Natural History, the hope is that the find will lead to “further discoveries about ancient life, from dinosaurs to prehistoric plants, mammals, fish, insects, fungi, and even microorganisms.”
“Over the past six years, many new fossil sites have been discovered in Zimbabwe, revealing a diverse range of prehistoric animals, including sub-Saharan Africa's first phytosaurs (ancient crocodile-like reptiles), metoposaurs (giant armoured amphibians), lungfish and other reptile fossils,” Barrett said.
“Based on its position on the dinosaur family tree, Msanka sanyantiensis is the first dinosaur of its kind to be discovered in Zimbabwe,” Chappelle said, “so the region is open to further paleontological discoveries.”
The dinosaur was named after the houseboat the research team used: “Msankwa” means “boy about to be married” in Tongan.
