New dinosaur discovery in Zimbabwe offers clues to ancient African ecosystems

A newly discovered dinosaur species from Zimbabwe, named Musango matusadonaensis, is providing scientists with fresh clues about how dinosaurs diversified and spread across southern Africa. The find, based on a skeleton excavated in 2018 near Lake Kariba, is the fifth dinosaur species identified in Zimbabwe and lived approximately 210 million years ago during the Late Triassic.

Unlike the massive long-necked dinosaurs that appeared millions of years later, Musango was a more lightly built creature, measuring about 4.5 meters (15 feet) in length and weighing an estimated 222 kilograms (490 pounds). Its name derives from the local Shona word "musango," meaning "living in the bush."

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Until recently, it was assumed that the dinosaurs living across southern Africa were largely the same.

Paul Barrett, a researcher at the Natural History Museum in London and part of the international team behind the discovery, stated that the find challenges previous assumptions. "Until recently, it was assumed that the dinosaurs living across southern Africa were largely the same," Barrett said. "The discovery suggests the region was instead made up of several distinct ecosystems, each home to different dinosaur species."

The fossil represents one of the most complete dinosaur skeletons of its age found in Zimbabwe, with preserved bones from its spine, ribs, arms, legs, and feet. Researchers estimate Musango was about eight years old and nearly fully grown when it died, and its bones indicate it had recovered from a significant injury or infection. Although its skull is missing, scientists believe Musango was likely a herbivore or omnivore, subsisting on plants found near rivers and streams. This discovery adds to the growing understanding of prehistoric life in Africa, following the identification of Africa's oldest dinosaur, Mbiresaurus raathi, in Zimbabwe in 2022.

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It suggests that what we’ve found so far is only the tip of the iceberg.