Anteavis
Anteavis was a small, fast meat-eating dinosaur that lived about 230 million years ago. It had long legs and ran after lizards and other small animals. Anteavis is one of the oldest theropod dinosaurs ever found.21
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Fun facts
Anteavis means 'before birds' because it lived long before birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs.1
Its species name crurilongus means 'long leg' in Latin, because its lower leg bones were very long for fast running.1
Anteavis had features that scientists used to think only later theropods had, showing that early dinosaurs were more advanced than expected.2
The only known Anteavis fossil includes a partial skull, many vertebrae, and parts of all four limbs.1
Anteavis lived during a time when the climate was becoming dry and semi-arid in what is now Argentina.2
It was a medium-sized predator, weighing between 30 and 200 kilograms (66 to 441 pounds) as an adult.2
Most asked questions about Anteavis
?How big was Anteavis?
Anteavis was about 1.2 metres (4 feet) long and weighed around 8 to 9 kilograms (18 to 20 pounds).3
?What did Anteavis eat?
Anteavis was a meat-eating dinosaur that hunted small animals like lizards.1
?Could Anteavis run fast?
Yes, Anteavis had very long lower leg bones, which helped it run quickly.13
?When did Anteavis live?
Anteavis lived during the Late Triassic Period, about 231 to 226 million years ago.1
?Where was Anteavis found?
Anteavis fossils were discovered in the Ischigualasto Formation in San Juan Province, northwestern Argentina.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Anteavis
- Named by
- Martínez et al. 20254
- Group
- Other meat-eaters
- Family / clade
- Theropoda4
- Classification
- Theropoda4
- Age of the rocks
- 237 to 227 million years (Carnian)4
- Rock formations
- Ischigualasto4
- Countries
- Argentina4
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- Anteavis was named in 2025 by Ricardo Martínez and colleagues from a partial skeleton found in Ischigualasto Provincial Park, Argentina.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are still debating exactly where Anteavis fits in the dinosaur family tree, because it has a mix of primitive and advanced features.2
Where the facts come from
- Anteavis (en.wikipedia.org)
- A Carnian theropod with unexpectedly derived features during the first dinosaur radiation | Nature Ecology & Evolution (nature.com)
- Anteavis crurilongus, pequeño dinosaurio que da grandes pistas a la ciencia (info.unsj.edu.ar)
- Anteavis in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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