Ahvaytum is an extinct dinosaur that lived during the Late Triassic period, about 230 million years ago.
It belongs to a group of dinosaurs known as sauropodomorphs, which are the early relatives of the long-necked giants we often think about when we picture dinosaurs.
Only one species is known from this genus, called Ahvaytum bahndooiveche. The fossil remains of Ahvaytum were discovered in Wyoming, United States, in 2013, near a place called the Popo Agie Formation.
The main fossil found was part of its foot, specifically a bone called the astragalus. Another piece, a part of the upper leg bone, was also linked to it. These bones indicate that Ahvaytum was a small dinosaur, approximately 3 feet long and 1 foot tall.
Researchers believe that Ahvaytum shows a movement of dinosaur species from a region known as Gondwana, which included parts of present-day Africa, South America, and Australia, to another ancient landmass known as Laurasia, which included North America and Europe.
The name Ahvaytum means “long ago” in the Shoshoni language, reflecting how ancient this dinosaur is. The second part of its name, bahndooiveche, translates to “water’s young man” and highlights connections to both dinosaurs and native salamanders in the region.
Ahvaytum is important to scientists because it represents the earliest known named dinosaur from Laurasia. Before its discovery, experts thought that early sauropodomorphs only came from Gondwana.
Ahvaytum lived in a river environment, as the area where its fossils were found had fossils of various other creatures that suggest a rich habitat. This included prehistoric reptiles and other distinct dinosaurs.
In summary, Ahvaytum is a small and fascinating dinosaur that helps scientists learn more about how dinosaurs spread across the ancient world.