In a rare discovery, researchers have discovered the fossils of a completely new dinosaur species on the shoreline of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe.

This rare find, which has been named Musankwa Sanyatiensis, is the fourth dinosaur species found in Zimbabwe. The research regarding this find has been published in&nbsp;Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.

An international team comprising scientists from Stony Brook University in New York, the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa and headed by the Natural History Museum's Prof Paul Barrett conducted the study in London.

Musankwa Sanyatiensis has emerged as an important discovery since it is the first dinosaur which has been named from the Mid-Zambezi Basin of northern Zimbabwe in the last 50 years.

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The rocks which yielded this new specimen of dinosaur go back to the Late Triassic period, which was nearly 210 million years ago.

<h2>What does the fossil of Musankwa Sanyatiensis tell us about this species?</h2>

The remains of Musankwa Sanyatiensis included a single hind leg, including its thigh, shin, and ankle bones.

Assistant professor at Stony Brook University Dr. Kimberley "Kimi" Chapelle said, "Despite the limited fossil material, these bones possess unique features that distinguish them from those of other dinosaurs living at the same time."

In the evolutionary analysis, it was revealed that Musankwa Sanyatiensis was a member of the Sauropodomorpha, which is a group of long-necked, bipedal dinosaurs that were widespread in the Late Triassic.&nbsp;

This species, interestingly, appeared to be closely related to its contemporaries in Argentina and South Africa.&nbsp;

Musankwa Sanyatiensis was one of the largest dinosaurs of its era. It weighed around 390 kg and ate plants.

The discovery of the new species also emphasises on the region's untapped potential for further paleontological discoveries.&nbsp;

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"The main reason for the underrepresentation of African dinosaur fossils is 'undersampling. Put simply, there have been fewer people looking for and unearthing dinosaurs in comparison with other regions of the world," said Barrett, as reported by phys.org.&nbsp;

"Over the last six years, many new fossil sites have been recorded in Zimbabwe, yielding a diverse array of prehistoric animals, including the first sub-Saharan mainland African phytosaurs (ancient crocodile-like reptiles), metoposaurid amphibians (giant armoured amphibians), lungfish, and other reptile remains," he added.

With the excavation of more fossil sites, the hope of making significant finds has increased which researchers believe will shed light on dinosaurs' early evolution and the ecosystems they lived in.

"Based on where it sits on the dinosaur family tree, Musanwka Sanyantiensis is the first dinosaur of its kind from Zimbabwe. It, therefore, highlights the potential of the region for further paleontological discoveries," Dr Chapelle said.

(With inputs from agencies)

In a rare discovery, researchers have discovered the fossils of a completely new dinosaur species on the shoreline of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe. This rare find, which has been named Musankwa Sanyatiensis, is the fourth dinosaur species found in Zimbabwe.

In a rare discovery, researchers have discovered the fossils of a completely new dinosaur species on the shoreline of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe. This rare find, which has been named Musankwa Sanyatiensis, is the fourth dinosaur species found in Zimbabwe. The research regarding this find has been published in Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. An international team comprising scientists from Stony Brook University in New York, the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa and headed by the Natural History Museum's Prof Paul Barrett conducted the study in London. Musankwa Sanyatiensis has emerged as an important discovery since it is the first dinosaur which has been named from the Mid-Zambezi Basin of northern Zimbabwe in the last 50 years. Also Read: Ancient fossil shows birds are officially dinosaurs The rocks which yielded this new specimen of dinosaur go back to the Late Triassic period, which was nearly 210 million years ago. What does the fossil of Musankwa Sanyatiensis tell us about this species? The remains of Musankwa Sanyatiensis included a single hind leg, including its thigh, shin, and ankle bones. Assistant professor at Stony Brook University Dr. Kimberley "Kimi" Chapelle said, "Despite the limited fossil material, these bones possess unique features that distinguish them from those of other dinosaurs living at the same time." In the evolutionary analysis, it was revealed that Musankwa Sanyatiensis was a member of the Sauropodomorpha, which is a group of long-necked, bipedal dinosaurs that were widespread in the Late Triassic. This species, interestingly, appeared to be closely related to its contemporaries in Argentina and South Africa. Musankwa Sanyatiensis was one of the largest dinosaurs of its era. It weighed around 390 kg and ate plants. The discovery of the new species also emphasises on the region's untapped potential for further paleontological discoveries. Watch: Scientists predict Atlantic Hurricane "The main reason for the underrepresentation of African dinosaur fossils is 'undersampling. Put simply, there have been fewer people looking for and unearthing dinosaurs in comparison with other regions of the world," said Barrett, as reported by phys.org. "Over the last six years, many new fossil sites have been recorded in Zimbabwe, yielding a diverse array of prehistoric animals, including the first sub-Saharan mainland African phytosaurs (ancient crocodile-like reptiles), metoposaurid amphibians (giant armoured amphibians), lungfish, and other reptile remains," he added. With the excavation of more fossil sites, the hope of making significant finds has increased which researchers believe will shed light on dinosaurs' early evolution and the ecosystems they lived in. "Based on where it sits on the dinosaur family tree, Musanwka Sanyantiensis is the first dinosaur of its kind from Zimbabwe. It, therefore, highlights the potential of the region for further paleontological discoveries," Dr Chapelle said. (With inputs from agencies)

This unknown dinosaur species lived in Zimbabwe. Here's what its fossils tell us about predators

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In yet another remarkable discovery, a group of scientists has uncovered the fossil of a yet-unkown species of eagle from 25 million years ago.<o:p></o:p>

The group of researchers from Flinders University in Adelaide found several bone fragments by a dry lake. Scientists believe these remains belong to an ancient hawk called Archaehierax sylvestris.<o:p></o:p>

Like other eagles, this species too survived by preying on possums and koalas, and it was also able to catch low-flying birds. Since this species of hawk was usually found in the forest, the eagle had trained itself and adapted to fly and hunt in the forest area.

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These species had short but strong wings, longer legs and a wide foot-span. These eagles were small in number at that time too so finding remains of these is very rare.<o:p></o:p>

“It’s rare to find even one bone from a fossil eagle. To have most of the skeleton is&nbsp;pretty exciting, especially considering how old it is,” Associate Professor Trevor Worthy said.

<o:p></o:p>
<img alt="Photo credit: Flinders University" data-caption="Photo credit: Flinders University" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0e0ac732-0465-4bbd-9aa1-47ad08da4d3c" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Eagle%20species.jpg" />
&nbsp;

<o:p></o:p>

These remains were found at the archaeological site in Lake Pinpa, a dried salt lake in the desert in south Australia.<o:p></o:p>

“This species was slightly smaller and leaner than the wedge-tailed eagle, but it’s the largest eagle known from this time period in Australia,” says Flinders University PhD candidate Ellen Mather, first author in the&nbsp;new paper in&nbsp;Historical Biology. “The&nbsp;foot span was nearly 15 cm long, which would have allowed it to grasp large prey.&nbsp;The largest marsupial predators at the time were about the size of a small dog&nbsp;or large cat, so&nbsp;Archaehierax&nbsp;(pron. ah-kay-high-rax) was certainly&nbsp;ruling the roost.”<o:p></o:p>

The fact that skeleton was almost completely preserved helped the researchers place the species properly in the eagle family tree.<o:p></o:p>

“The completeness of the skeleton allowed us to determine where it fits on the eagle family tree. It shows a range of features unlike any seen among modern hawks and eagles,” Mather explained. “We found that Archaehierax didn’t belong to any of the living genera or families. It seems to have been&nbsp;its own unique branch of the eagle family,” she says. “It’s unlikely to be a direct ancestor to any species alive today.”<o:p></o:p>

In yet another remarkable discovery, a group of scientists has uncovered the fossil of a yet-unkown species of eagle from 25 million years ago. The group of researchers from Flinders University in Adelaide found several bone fragments by a dry lake.

In yet another remarkable discovery, a group of scientists has uncovered the fossil of a yet-unkown species of eagle from 25 million years ago. The group of researchers from Flinders University in Adelaide found several bone fragments by a dry lake. Scientists believe these remains belong to an ancient hawk called Archaehierax sylvestris. Like other eagles, this species too survived by preying on possums and koalas, and it was also able to catch low-flying birds. Since this species of hawk was usually found in the forest, the eagle had trained itself and adapted to fly and hunt in the forest area. Also read | Can Vitamin A help in treating Covid-resulted loss of smell? Experts answer These species had short but strong wings, longer legs and a wide foot-span. These eagles were small in number at that time too so finding remains of these is very rare. “It’s rare to find even one bone from a fossil eagle. To have most of the skeleton is pretty exciting, especially considering how old it is,” Associate Professor Trevor Worthy said. These remains were found at the archaeological site in Lake Pinpa, a dried salt lake in the desert in south Australia. “This species was slightly smaller and leaner than the wedge-tailed eagle, but it’s the largest eagle known from this time period in Australia,” says Flinders University PhD candidate Ellen Mather, first author in the new paper in Historical Biology. “The foot span was nearly 15 cm long, which would have allowed it to grasp large prey. The largest marsupial predators at the time were about the size of a small dog or large cat, so Archaehierax (pron. ah-kay-high-rax) was certainly ruling the roost.” The fact that skeleton was almost completely preserved helped the researchers place the species properly in the eagle family tree. “The completeness of the skeleton allowed us to determine where it fits on the eagle family tree. It shows a range of features unlike any seen among modern hawks and eagles,” Mather explained. “We found that Archaehierax didn’t belong to any of the living genera or families. It seems to have been its own unique branch of the eagle family,” she says. “It’s unlikely to be a direct ancestor to any species alive today.”

Scientists unearth fossils of rare Eagle species that lived 25 million years ago

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