A newly discovered dinosaur from Zimbabwe is providing fresh insights into how these ancient creatures diversified across southern Africa, according to researchers who announced the find on Wednesday.

The species, named Musango matusadonaensis, is based on a skeleton dug up along the shores of Lake Kariba in northern Zimbabwe in 2018. It marks the fifth dinosaur identified from the country.

The creature roamed the earth about 210 million years ago during the Late Triassic period, when dinosaurs were beginning to spread across the planet but had not yet become the dominant land animals.

A lighter build than later giants

Unlike the massive long-necked dinosaurs that evolved millions of years later, Musango was relatively lightly built. It measured about 4.5m long and weighed an estimated 222kg, roughly the same as a fully grown pig.

The dinosaur takes its name from the local Shona word “musango”, which means “living in the bush”.

Paul Barrett, a researcher at the Natural History Museum in London, said the discovery challenges previous assumptions about dinosaurs in the region.

“Until recently, it was assumed that the dinosaurs living across southern Africa were largely the same,” Barrett said in a statement.

Instead, the discovery suggests the region was made up of several distinct ecosystems, each home to different dinosaur species.

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Multiple ecosystems across southern Africa

“It suggests that what we’ve found so far is only the tip of the iceberg,” Barrett added.

The team’s findings were published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.

The fossil is among the most complete dinosaur skeletons of its age found in Zimbabwe, with bones from its spine, ribs, arms, legs and feet preserved.

Researchers estimated Musango was about eight years old and nearly fully grown when it died. The bones also showed it had recovered from a serious injury or infection.

Likely plant eater

While its skull has not been found, researchers believe Musango was probably a herbivore or an omnivore, feeding on plants growing along rivers and streams.

In 2022, scientists in Zimbabwe discovered the remains of Africa’s oldest dinosaur, which roamed the earth around 230 million years ago.

That dinosaur, named Mbiresaurus raathi, was only about 1m tall, with a long tail, and weighed up to 30kg.

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