Alwalkeria maleriensis

†Alwalkeria maleriensis was an early dinosauriform or very early dinosaur from the Late Triassic (~230 Ma) of Andhra Pradesh, India. Known from fragmentary teeth and bones, its classification has been debated between herrerasaurid, early sauropodomorph, or basal dinosauriform. Named by Chatterjee and Creisler in 1994, it is one of the few early Triassic dinosaur-relatives known from India.

Time Period

Triassic Late Mesozoic Era

Alwalkeria maleriensis lived during the Triassic Late period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 237.0 to 201.4 million years ago.

The first true dinosaurs appeared during the late Triassic, including early theropods like Eoraptor and Herrerasaurus. Dinosaurs were still small and not yet dominant. The period ended with the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event.