A research team at Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center scientifically documents the 7th dinosaur of Egypt after half a century “Master of the Oasis”

An international team, with Egyptian participation documented the discovery of a new Egyptian herbivorous dinosaur that lived on the banks of rivers and among the dense trees ,it lived about 75 million years ago near the Kharga Oases, in the Western Desert of Egypt. The study was published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (JVP), and the unearthed remains of the dinosaur include: a number of vertebrae, shoulder blades and limbs, as well as pelvic bones.

Egyptian paleontologist Prof. Hisham Salam, founder of Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center, and a researcher co-author of the scientific paper, says: “It is interesting that this discovery was not recent, as the remains of this dinosaur were discovered in 1977 by German scientists. After that, the remains of the discovered Egyptian dinosaur were shipped to the University of Berlin - under the cover of the German project for geological studies in the Egyptian Western Desert - then, and over the period of half a century, the fossils of the Egyptian dinosaur moved between the German museums and universities until it settled in the Museum of Natural History in Berlin, to finally reach the light of science, yesterday 20-7-2023.

The new Egyptian dinosaur was named "Igai semkhu", a name derived from the ancient Egyptian language. The word Igai means "lord of the oasis" while Simkhu means "the forgotten", due to its long history of oblivion in the vaults of various German museums, to be the 7th  Egyptian dinosaur to be discovered.

Dr. Bilal Salem, a lecturer at Benha University and a member of the research team, Salam-Lab, and one of the authors of the study, confirms, "Ijay Simkho belongs to the giant family of titanosaurs, specifically the four-legged terrestrial Saltasauridae family. Despite this, its length ranges between about 10-15 meters. It is slightly larger than its contemporary cousin, the dinosaur “Mansourasaurus”, and differs from it in some ways anatomical characteristics of the dorsal vertebrae, limb bones and metatarsals. He said that: "The discovery of the Egyptian dinosaur Ijay Simkho represents an important scientific achievement, as it contributes to enriching our understanding of the distant past and the evolution of dinosaurs on the surface of the earth." He adds: "Through such discoveries, Egypt confirms its vital role in protecting and documenting the precious natural heritage of the entire world."

The results of the study confirm that the regions of North Africa and Eurasia were closely involved in the presence of terrestrial four-legged dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period. The scientific paper also indicates that the evolutionary history of dinosaurs in the North Africa and Middle East region was more complex than expected, which becomes evident with the increasing discoveries and documentation of fossils in the region.

"Egypt has regained its sovereignty and dominance over its rich history of vertebrate fossils, by establishing Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center, the first center of its kind in the Middle East, and raising a scientific team with international standards."