New Late Triassic Dinosaur Musango matusadonaensis Discovered in Zimbabwe

Paleontologists have identified a new dinosaur species, Musango matusadonaensis, from fossils uncovered on the shore of Lake Kariba in northern Zimbabwe. The specimen, dating to about 210 million years ago in the Late Triassic, measured roughly 4.5 metres in length and weighed around 220 kg. It was described in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology based on a well‑preserved skeleton excavated in 2018.

Researchers say the find challenges earlier assumptions that Triassic dinosaurs across southern Africa were largely uniform. "Until recently we assumed dinosaurs across southern Africa were largely the same," said Paul Barrett of the Natural History Museum in London. The discovery suggests a mosaic of ecosystems hosted a more diverse dinosaur fauna than previously thought. The team also referenced a 2022 discovery of Mbiresaurus raathi, the oldest known African dinosaur, underscoring Zimbabwe's growing paleontological significance.