# A newly discovered South African dinosaur was a heavyweight even as a youngster

Source: [Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-newly-south-african-dinosaur-heavyweight.html) · 2026-11-13 · Life
Page: https://themorning.science/story/a-newly-discovered-south-african-dinosaur-was-a-heavyweight-even-as-a-youngster-3f17f893267c3e77
Kind: research · Impact: low

## In brief

- A newly identified dinosaur species, Nyana rooiwalensis, is reported from South Africa.
- The species lived more than 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa.
- It probably walked on two legs and weighed about 400 kilograms (880 pounds), despite still being a youngster.

## Why it matters

The find adds a new species to the record of early dinosaurs and suggests that some early dinosaurs reached large body mass while still juveniles, which bears on how their growth and size are understood.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-13: Nyana rooiwalensis reported as a newly identified dinosaur species

## Coverage

- [A newly discovered South African dinosaur was a heavyweight even as a youngster](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-newly-south-african-dinosaur-heavyweight.html) — Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology, 2026-11-13

Tags: dinosaurs, paleontology, new species, south africa, evolution

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science