Bones that have been languishing in obscurity at a London museum for nearly 80 years may actually belong to the oldest known dinosaur.
Scientists say they believe the bones uncovered in Tanzania in the 1930s are the fossilized remains of a dinosaur that roamed the Earth about 245 million years ago — at least 10 million years earlier than the previously oldest known dinosaur.
Researchers at London's Natural History Museum last examined the bones in the 1950s and were unable to identify them, concluding that they came from a mystery animal.
But contemporary researchers say the London bones are similar to others at a South African museum. After closer examination with modern technology, the scientists concluded they are dinosaur remains.
They believe the dinosaur was the size of a large dog and lived on a so-called supercontinent called Pangaea, which included parts of modern-day Africa, Antarctica, Australia and South America.
