Tanzania fossil discovery suggests oldest dinosaur fossils are younger than believed

Overview

Updated Sep 16

A fossil that sat in a London museum for more than 60 years is forcing paleontologists to revise the early dinosaur timeline. The animal, Dinodontosaurus isiyavamanda, was a plant-eater that lived in what is now Tanzania about 240 million years ago.

Until now, its genus was known only from South America. That connection lets researchers line up the two continents' rock layers, and the alignment shows Tanzania's supposed oldest dinosaur fossils may be up to 10 million years younger than previously thought.

Why it matters

The oldest known dinosaur fossils may be millions of years younger than believed, changing where and when dinosaurs first evolved.

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Key Indicators

240 million years

Age of the fossil

Dinodontosaurus isiyavamanda dates to the middle Triassic period.

up to 10 million years

Possible age correction

How much younger the Tanzanian dinosaur-bearing rocks may be than previously estimated.

1st

Record outside South America

First confirmed finding of the genus Dinodontosaurus beyond that continent.

1963

Year the fossil was collected

Collected during a British Museum – University of London expedition to Tanzania.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Hady George

PhD student, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol; lead author of the study

PhD candidate and lead author, planning follow-up work on the remaining Tanzanian fossil material

Organizations Involved

University of Bristol

Research university

Led the international team that described the new species

The institution that led the study naming Dinodontosaurus isiyavamanda.

Natural History Museum, London

Research Institution

Repository of the 1963 Tanzanian fossil collection

London museum that houses the fossil collection from the 1963 expedition to Tanzania.

Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology

Peer-reviewed scientific journal

Published the new species study on September 16, 2026

The peer-reviewed journal that published the description of Dinodontosaurus isiyavamanda.

Timeline

1963 September 2026

3 events Latest: September 16th, 2026 · 2 months ago

September 2026
New species links Tanzania and South America
Latest Publication

Study names Dinodontosaurus isiyavamanda, connecting Tanzanian rocks to younger dated deposits in South America.
September 16th, 2026
2013
Nyasasaurus described as possibly oldest dinosaur
Publication

Researchers describe Nyasasaurus parringtoni from the Manda Beds as possibly the oldest known dinosaur.
2013
1963
British expedition collects Tanzanian fossils
Expedition

Expedition led by Alan Charig and Brian Cox collects synapsid fossils in southern Tanzania.
1963

Scenarios

Radiometric dates confirm the younger Tanzania timeline

Likely Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Hady George's team at the University of Bristol; paleontology coverage in Sci.News

The Bristol team argues the mid-to-upper Lifua Member of Tanzania's Manda Beds matches Brazil's Dinodontosaurus Assemblage Zone and Argentina's Chañares Formation, both dated to the late Ladinian through Carnian. If direct radiometric dating lands in that window, the supposed oldest dinosaur fossils in Tanzania lose their claim to primacy. The team has said further research will examine the remaining Tanzania material.

Nyasasaurus loses its "oldest dinosaur" title

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: University of Bristol study; phys.org and CTV News coverage

Nyasasaurus parringtoni, described from the Manda Beds in 2013 as possibly the oldest known dinosaur, is the main casualty of the younger dating. A formal reassessment that removes it from contention would leave South American forms like Eoraptor and Herrerasaurus holding the oldest-dinosaur record. The Bristol team's new correlation provides the framework for such a reassessment.

Africa reclaims oldest-dinosaur status from older strata

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2029

Discussed by: Researchers cautioning that the Tanzanian rocks lack direct dates

The age correlation rests on fossil genus links, not on direct dates from Tanzania. If older deposits exist in Africa, or the correlation proves imperfect, the African cradle argument survives. A new find from pre-Ladinian African strata could reassert the continent's claim to the oldest dinosaurs.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

December 2012 – 2013

Nyasasaurus parringtoni (2013)

Paleontologists described Nyasasaurus parringtoni from the Manda Beds of Tanzania, proposing it as possibly the oldest dinosaur ever found and predating other dinosaur records by millions of years.

Then

The claim made Tanzania a key site in the search for dinosaur origins in the early 2010s.

Now

Nyasasaurus became a standard reference point in debates about where and when dinosaurs first evolved.

Why this matters now

This fossil comes from the same rocks the new study redates; the new evidence weakens its oldest-dinosaur claim.

1963–1993

Argentina's Triassic dinosaur finds (1963–1993)

Fossil hunters in Argentina's Ischigualasto Valley uncovered Herrerasaurus in 1963 and Eoraptor in 1993, among the earliest known dinosaurs, dated to about 230 million years ago.

Then

South America became the leading candidate for the cradle of the dinosaurs.

Now

The Ischigualasto Formation became a global reference point for dating early dinosaur evolution.

Why this matters now

The new correlation ties Tanzania's Manda Beds to these dated South American sequences, putting the Argentine record at the center of the oldest-dinosaur question.