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Nyasasaurus parringtoni is one of the oldest known dinosaur species, dating back approximately 240 million years to the Middle Triassic period. Its fossils were first discovered in Tanzania near Lake Nyasa (now Lake Malawi), giving the dinosaur its name. The species was initially described in the 1930s by paleontologist Rex Parrington, though it took many decades before its significance was fully recognized. Nyasasaurus is notable because it may represent the very earliest stages of dinosaur evolution, straddling the line between early dinosaurs and their closest relatives. The known fossil remains include a partial upper arm bone (humerus) and some vertebrae. These fossils display features consistent with dinosaurs, such as an elongated deltopectoral crest on the humerus—a muscle attachment point that suggests powerful forelimbs