Avipes is a type of ancient reptile that is now extinct. It belongs to a group called archosaurs, which also includes dinosaurs and modern birds.
Avipes lived a long time ago, during a time known as the Middle Triassic period, around 240 million years ago.
The name “Avipes” means “bird foot,” and it comes from a fossil that was discovered in Germany. The only fossil we have from Avipes is a piece of its foot. This fossil was found in a place called Bedheim and was part of a rock called sandstone.
Avipes was first classified as a type of dinosaur called coelurosaur or ceratosaur. However, later studies showed that the fossil was too incomplete to be sure about its exact group. Because of this, scientists now classify Avipes only as an archosaur and do not place it in a more specific category.
The type species of Avipes is called Avipes dillstedtianus, and it was named back in 1932 by a scientist named Huene.
Today, Avipes helps us learn about the diversity of reptiles that existed millions of years ago.