Dino card No. 0082 of 2,027

Alwalkeria

Say it: al-walk-ER-ee-uh

Name means: “for Alick Walker”1

First dinosaursLate Triassic

Alwalkeria was a small, early reptile that lived during the Late Triassic in what is now India. It is known from only a few bones, and scientists are still debating whether it was a dinosaur or a close relative.1

Lived

237 to 227 million years ago2

Late Triassic

Fossils found in

Andhra Pradesh, India (Lower Maleri Formation)1

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

cool stuff

Fun facts

Alwalkeria was first named Walkeria in 1987, but that name was already used for a tiny sea animal, so it was changed to Alwalkeria in 1994.1

The only known fossil of Alwalkeria is a jumble of bones from different animals, including a skull that may belong to a crocodile relative and leg bones that might be from a dinosaur.1

Alwalkeria lived about 235 to 228 million years ago, during the Carnian stage of the Triassic period.1

The leg bone of Alwalkeria looks a bit like those of early dinosaurs, but some scientists think it might belong to a different group of reptiles called pseudosuchians.1

Alwalkeria is named after British paleontologist Alick Walker, who studied ancient reptiles.1

Because the fossils are so mixed up, scientists are not sure what Alwalkeria ate or how big it was.1

AI-made picture of Alwalkeria — An AI-made picture of how Alwalkeria might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Alwalkeria

?Was Alwalkeria a dinosaur?

Yes, Alwalkeria is classified as a dinosaur. It is a basal saurischian dinosaur that lived during the Late Triassic.1

?How big was Alwalkeria?

Nobody knows for sure. The only known fossil is a jumble of bones from different animals, so scientists cannot tell how big Alwalkeria was.1

?When did Alwalkeria live?

Alwalkeria lived about 235 to 228 million years ago, during the Carnian stage of the Late Triassic period.1

?Where was Alwalkeria found?

Its fossils were found in the Lower Maleri Formation of Andhra Pradesh, India, in rocks that were once an ancient lake or river.1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Alwalkeria
Named by: Chatterjee and Creisler 19942
Group: First dinosaurs
Family / clade: Saurischia2
Age of the rocks: 237 to 227 million years (Carnian)2
Rock formations: Maleri2
Countries: India2
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database2
Discovery: Alwalkeria was discovered in 1974 by Sankar Chatterjee in the Maleri Formation of Andhra Pradesh, India. It was first described in 1987 as Walkeria, but the name was changed in 1994 because it was already taken.1
Still debated: Scientists are still debating whether Alwalkeria was a dinosaur, a close relative, or a mix of bones from different animals.1

Where the facts come from

Alwalkeria (en.wikipedia.org)
Alwalkeria in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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