AFRICA’S OLDEST DINOSAUR FOUND IN ZIMBABWE
I know you’ve heard about dinosaurs, or probably have an idea about them.
But, if you’re here and you don’t know what they are.
Stay with me.
WHAT ARE DINOSAURS?
Dinosaurs are different species of reptiles of Clade Dinosauria.
These creatures were said to first appear during the Triassic period.
Which is between 243 and 233.23 million years ago.
Dinosaurs became terrestrial vertebrates and it’s said that birds are extensions of them and probably share some traits of the evolution of dinosaurs.
They were of different sizes, and species, ones that could fly, with four legs, those with long necks, shells, two legs, spikes, etc.
And they were all divided into two types.
- The avian dinosaurs
- The non-avain dinosaurs.
It is reported that dinosaurs were active animals with complex metabolism and various adaptation systems. Some were herbivorous and some were carnivorous.
From gathered knowledge, it was discovered that dinosaurs were egg laying and they usually built nests which was a trait in the dinosaurs both avain and non-avain.
Dinosaurs were believed to be well adapted to the high altitudes surrounding them.
AFRICA’S OLDEST DINOSAUR FOUND IN ZIMBABWE
The discovery of the oldest dinosaur in Africa in Zimbabwe was found by scientists who were on an expedition and the dinosaur was said to have lived 230 million years ago.
The mbiresaurus raathi was a meter tall and had two legs with a long neck and jagged teeth.
The Mbiresaurus raathi is said to be from the sauropodomorph species. That is a relative of the sauropod which walks on four legs.
The skeleton of the mbiresaurus raathi was discovered during two expeditions in 2017 and 2019 to the Zambezi valley.
On the expedition, Darlington Munyikwa, deputy director of national museums and movements of Zimbabwe said
“When we talk of the evolution of early dinosaurs, fossils from the Triassic age are rare”
He added that fossils from that era ended more than 200 million years ago which were discovered in South America, India, and now Zimbabwe.
And the search for the fossils is expected to shed more light on the evolution and the migration of the existence of early dinosaurs, as at the time the world was a continent.
As they went on with the search they discovered that other fossils of dinosaurs may be available in more sites and needed further exploration in such areas but, subject to funding availability.
Christopher Griffin said while reporting who happens to be one of the scientists on the expedition added that their finding was the “Oldest definitive dinosaur they ever found in Africa.
Prof Anusuya chinsamy- Turana paleontologist at the University of Cape Town said
” she hopes that there’s a policy in place to ensure that if any encounters fossils, they hand them over to the museum so the material won’t be lost”.
The near-complete skeleton of the mbiresaurus raathi is stored in a room in a museum in the Zimbabwe Southern City of Bulawayo.
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