Mbiresaurus

Say it like this: “em-BI-yuh-SOR-us”

Mbiresaurus raathi

Mbiresaurus ate plants and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Triassic. Bones have been found in Zimbabwe.

Quiz me on Mbiresaurus

When: Late Triassic (Carnian) · roughly 237 to 227.3 million years ago
Named in: 2022 · Griffin, C. T.; Wynd, B. M.; Munyikwa, D.; Broderick, T. J.; Zondo, M.; Tolan, S.; Langer, M. C.; Nesbitt, S. J.; Taruvinga, H. R.
Hip height: 0.4 m · 1 ft
Length: 2.3 m · 8 ft
Weight: 15 kg · 33 lb
Found in: Zimbabwe · Pebbly Arkose
Food and walking: Herbivore · Two legs
Kind: early long-neck · Sauropodomorph
Family branch: Sauropodomorpha

The story in short

Mbiresaurus was formally named in 2022 by C. T. Griffin and colleagues. The name honors a person tied to the fossil or its study.

Fossils referred to Mbiresaurus date to the Late Triassic (Carnian), roughly 237 to 227.3 million years ago. Finds come from Zimbabwe, including the Pebbly Arkose Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on two legs.

Published estimates put Mbiresaurus at a length near 2.3 m, hips about 0.4 m high, and a body mass around 15 kg.

On the family tree it sits in Sauropodomorpha, among the early long-necked dinosaurs.

Close relatives

Agrosaurus

Agrosaurus macgillivrayi

Late Triassic (Rhaetian) · roughly 205.7 to 201.4 million years ago

Ahvaytum

Ahvaytum bahndooiveche

Late Triassic (Carnian) · roughly 237 to 227.3 million years ago

Arcusaurus

Arcusaurus pereirabdalorum

Early Jurassic (Hettangian · Sinemurian) · roughly 201.4 to 192.9 million years ago