A new species of dinosaur has been discovered in Zimbabwe called Musankwa sanyatiensis

A remarkable fossil discovery in Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe has led to the naming of a new species of dinosaur by researchers: Musankwa sanyatiensis.

The fossilized remains of the species’ only hind leg, including femur, tibia and ankle bones, were discovered embedded in a rock on the lake’s shore, according to a study published in 2017. Acta Paleontologica Polonica Thursday.

Researchers say that the remains date back to the Late Triassic period, about 210 million years ago.

After analyzing Musankwa Sanyatiensis, the researchers noted that the new species belongs to Sauropodomorpha, a group of long-necked dinosaurs that lived during the Late Triassic.

“Although fossil material is limited, these bones possess unique features that distinguish them from those of other dinosaurs that lived at the same time,” said Dr. Kimberly “Kimmy” Chappell, an assistant professor at Stony Brook University and a member emeritus of the Institute for Evolutionary Studies. In Wits said in a press release To study Thursday.

The discovery of Mosankwa saniatensis represents the fourth dinosaur species to be named in Zimbabwe.

Previous findings from the African country include Syntarsus rhodesiensis in 1969, Vulcanodon karibaensis in 1972, and Mbiresaurus raathi in 2022, according to the press release.

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe, and Stony Brook University in New York, and was led by Professor Paul Barrett from the Natural History Museum in London.

In March 2024, a 70 million-year-old fossil that turned out to be a nearly complete skeleton of a long-necked titanosaur was discovered by a man walking his dog in France.

Damien Bocheteau found the huge skeleton in the woods of Montolier, near his home in the village of Crozy in southern France.