Alwalkeria is a type of dinosaur that lived during the Late Triassic period, about 228 million years ago. It was discovered in the Lower Maleri Formation in India.
Originally, it was called Walkeria maleriensis, named after the British paleontologist Alick Walker. But because another organism already had the name Walkeria, it was renamed Alwalkeria in 1994.
The only fossil found of Alwalkeria is incomplete. It includes parts of the skull, 28 vertebrae from its backbone, a femur (which is a thigh bone), and an ankle bone called the astragalus. The skull is small, about 4 centimeters long and likely belongs to a different species related to crocodiles.
Alwalkeria is believed to have been about 1.5 meters long, which is about the length of a modern small car, and weighed between 2 to 5 kilograms. This makes it fairly light for its size.
Scientists are still figuring out where Alwalkeria fits into the family of dinosaurs. Some classifications placed it as a basal theropod, which are the two-legged dinosaurs, while others see it as a more primitive type of dinosaur called a saurischian.
The area where Alwalkeria was found is thought to have been near an ancient lake or river. Other dinosaur fossils found nearby include species like Jaklapallisaurus and Nambalia.
In summary, Alwalkeria is a unique dinosaur from a long time ago, helping scientists understand more about dinosaur evolution.