Pronunciation: em-BI-yuh-SOR-us
Meaning: Mbire Lizard
Author/s: Griffin et al. (2022)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Mashonaland Central, Zimbabwe
Discovery Chart Position: #1075
Mbiresaurus raathi
Mbiresaurus is Africa's oldest known definite dinosaur, but it's no older than the oldest known dinosaurs from elsewhere. It was found in the carnian-aged Pebbly Arkose Formation alongside the remains of herrerasaurid dinosaurs, gomphodontosuchine cynodonts, hyperodapedontine rhynchosaurs, early-diverging aetosaurs and a possible dicynodont, which mirrors the assemblages found in Argentina's Ischigualasto Formation, Brasil's Santa Maria Formation and India's lower Maleri Formation, suggesting the earliest dinosaurs shared similar company, the world over.
(Raath's Mbire Lizard)Etymology
Mbiresaurus is derived from "Mbire" (for both an historic Shona Empire that once ruled Zimbabwe, and the present day Mbire district where the holotype was found) and the Greek "sauros" (lizard).
The species epithet, raathi, honours Michael Raath, who was amongst the first to report fossils from the Dande area and helped put Zimbabwe on the scientific map.
Discovery
The remains of Mbiresaurus were discovered in the Pebbly Arkose Formation on Dande Communal Land, Mbire District, Mashonaland Central Province, Zimbabwe, by Christopher T. Griffin in 2017.
The holotype (NHMZ 2222) is a nearly complete, associated and partially articulated skeleton including a partial skull, neck, back, hip and tail vertebrae, rib fragments, partial shoulder and pelvic girdles, and partial forelimbs and hindlimbs. Referred material includes NHMZ 2547: a larger partial skeleton found alongside the holotype.
