Newly Identified Dinosaur was the Size of a Chicken and May be Oldest in North America

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Paleontologists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have uncovered Ahvaytum bahndooiveche, in modern-day Wyoming. This find is monumental, as it could indicate that dinosaurs inhabited the northern hemisphere millions of years earlier than previously thought, according to the findings published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

"We have, with these fossils, the oldest equatorial dinosaur in the world — it's also North America's oldest dinosaur," said Dave Lovelace, a research scientist at the University of Wisconsin Geology Museum, who co-led the work with graduate student Aaron Kufner, in a press release.

Where did A. bahndooiveche Live?

Paleontologists generally believe that dinosaurs first evolved in the southern part of the supercontinent, Pangea, around 230 million years ago. This region was known as Gondwana, and dinosaurs dwelled there for millions of years before pushing toward the northern region of Laurasia 6 million years to 10 million years later.

However, the remains of the newly identified dinosaur, A. bahndooiveche, date back around 230 million years as well, making it the oldest-known Laurasian dinosaur discovery.

Read More: Complete Dinosaur Timeline to Extinction: How Long Did They Roam Earth?

Type of Dinosaur

According to study, researchers first found fossilized pieces of A. bahndooiveche legs in 2013. The remains were encased in the Popo Agie Formation, and it took years before the research team could identify them as a new dinosaur and calculate its age.

With the few bone fragments the team uncovered, they determined the likely size and weight of A. bahndooiveche and positively identified it as a dinosaur.

"It was basically the size of a chicken but with a really long tail," said Lovelace in a press release. "We think of dinosaurs as these giant behemoths, but they didn't start out that way."

A. bahndooiveche was likely a little over 1 foot tall and stretched to about 3 feet long. Though the skull was not found, the team believes it was likely omnivorous, similar to other sauropod-like dinosaurs of that time. Other evidence found near the site suggests that A. bahndooiveche likely lived during a time — or shortly after — of great climactic change known as the Carnian pluvial episode. This episode is associated with a period of diversification among dinosaurs.

The climate was likely warmer and more humid than the previous arid conditions.

"We're kind of filling in some of this story, and we're showing that the ideas that we've held for so long — ideas that were supported by the fragmented evidence that we had — weren’t quite right,” Lovelace said in a press release. “We now have this piece of evidence that shows dinosaurs were here in the northern hemisphere much earlier than we thought."

Naming A. bahndooiveche

When it came to naming the oldest-known Laurasian dinosaur, the research team decided to name the dinosaur in the language of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, as it was their cultural land on which the fossil was found. Members of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, including elders and children, came up with the name, which translates to "long ago dinosaur" in Shoshone.

Members of the Shoshone Tribe joined the UW-Madison research team on the excavation so that authors of the study would better respect the land and gain valuable insights and knowledge from tribal members.

"The continuous relationship developed between Dr. Lovelace, his team, our school district, and our community is one of the most important outcomes of the discovery and naming of Ahvaytum bahndooiveche," said Amanda LeClair-Diaz, a co-author on the paper and a member of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes, in a press release.

"Typically, the research process in communities, especially Indigenous communities, has been one-sided, with the researchers fully benefiting from studies," continued LeClair-Diaz in a press release. "The work we have done with Dr. Lovelace breaks this cycle and creates an opportunity for reciprocity in the research process."

Read More: Oldest-Known Fossil of Creature That Seems Part Reptile, Part Mammal Found

Article Sources

Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:

A graduate of UW-Whitewater, Monica Cull wrote for several organizations, including one that focused on bees and the natural world, before coming to Discover Magazine. Her current work also appears on her travel blog and Common State Magazine. Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who.

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