New Dinosaur Species Discovered in SA, Revealing Clues About Early Giant Dinosaurs
New Dinosaur Species Discovered in SA, Revealing Clues About Early Giant Dinosaurs
Paleontologists have identified a new dinosaur species, Nyana rooiwalensis, that lived approximately 220 million years ago, during the Late Triassic period in what is now South Africa.
The fossil, discovered near Qhemegha village in the Eastern Cape in 2018, includes an almost complete juvenile skull measuring 21.3 cm, making it one of the most complete dinosaur skulls from this period found in the southern continents.
Although only around three years old, the dinosaur was already over four times larger than juveniles of some comparable species;
Researchers estimate fully grown individuals may have reached several tonnes in body mass;
Analysis of its limb bones indicates it walked on two legs.
The discovery provides new insights into the early evolution of sauropodomorphs, the group that eventually gave rise to giant long-necked dinosaurs such as Brontosaurus.
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