A long-necked dinosaur with jagged teeth and a long tail roamed Zimbabwe 230 million years ago, new fossil analysis has revealed.

The dinosaur, dubbed Mbiresaurus raathi, was around six feet long and weighed anywhere from 20-65lbs, and is the oldest dinosaur found in Africa yet.

'The discovery of Mbiresaurus raathi fills in a critical geographic gap in the fossil record of the oldest dinosaurs and shows the power of hypothesis-driven fieldwork for testing predictions about the ancient past,' said Dr Christopher Griffin, from the Virginia Tech College of Science.

'These are Africa's oldest-known definitive dinosaurs, roughly equivalent in age to the oldest dinosaurs found anywhere in the world.

'The oldest known dinosaurs — from roughly 230 million years ago, the Carnian Stage of the Late Triassic period — are extremely rare and have been recovered from only a few places worldwide, mainly northern Argentina, southern Brazil, and India.'

The skeleton of Mbiresaurus raathi was found in northern Zimbabwe, with just parts of its hand and portions of its skull missing.

Dr Sterling Nesbitt, an author of the study, said: 'Early dinosaurs like Mbiresaurus raathi show that the early evolution of dinosaurs is still being written with each new find and the rise of dinosaurs was far more complicated than previously predicted.'

An analysis of its fossilised remains indicates that Mbiresaurus stood on two legs and had a relatively small head, with small, serrated, triangular teeth.

This suggests it was likely a herbivore or an omnivore, according to Dr Griffin.

'We never expected to find such a complete and well-preserved dinosaur skeleton,' said Dr Griffin.

'When I found the femur of Mbiresaurus, I immediately recognized it as belonging to a dinosaur and I knew I was holding the oldest dinosaur ever found in Africa.

'When I kept digging and found the left hip bone right next to the left thigh bone, I had to stop and take a breath — I knew that a lot of the skeleton was probably there, still articulated together in life position.'

Alongside Mbiresaurus, the researchers found a range of other fossils, including a herrerasaurid dinosaur, early mammal relatives such as cynodonts, armored crocodylian relatives such as aetosaurs, and 'bizarre, archaic reptiles' known as rhynchosaurs.

They hope the findings will help to shed light on the timing and location of early dinosaur migrations.

When Earth's continents were one – a supercontinent known as Pangea – the climate was thought to have been divided into climate belts, which influenced the distribution of animals.

Latitudinal belts were thought to have strong humid and arid climates, while higher latitudes and lower tropics were more temperate.

'Because dinosaurs initially dispersed under this climatic pattern, the early dispersal of dinosaurs should therefore have been controlled by latitude,' Dr Griffin explained.

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11164473/amp/Meet-Africas-OLDEST-known-dinosaur-Long-necked-creature-roamed-Zimbabwe-230m-years-ago.html

Ok

Only in Zimbabwe?

Wow,,,, but this people Sabi lie Sha.

What is wrong with all this people sef? Can't even differentiate between Lai Muhammed, APC urchins and this so called Scientists...

Feels good to be in Zimbabwe !

Hmmm

See as e resemble Tinubu

Mugabe himself

Adams Oshiomole be dis na...

Douse the thread with funny comments particularly the one that have to do with the dating...

Lai moham

230million years??

These people must be high on Agbado and Maize.

So many things are hidden from the average black man (knowledge)

Wow

ok

Where did they pic the camera that was used to take the picture?

The world itself dey confuse man, the bible says one thing, scientists will say another one. If God never come since 230 million years I beg make religious leaders stop to put fear for our mind say the world go soon end

Same way future civilizations in 230million years time will be viewing us and saying:
"See Africa's Oldest Known Human that Roamed Nigeria 230million Years Ago"

Lol @ 230 Million Years Ago

No be only 230 Million Years,
Na Ten thousand and seventy-five trillion years......

230m years hmm

Danny50:
230m years hmm

U sef do hmmmmm

These people lie so much. I do not even get their obsession with dinosaurs

Human beings will be history in this earth because of climate change.

When the effect hugely coming, billions of people will be dying like insects from all kinds of natural disaster.

Oduduwa707:
Adams Oshiomole be dis na...

Oduduwa707:
Adams Oshiomole be dis na...

Mad mad people and imaginary dinosaur.

Ok

Yes na true. I could remember well
Na my dad garden be this .1 Billions year ago