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Description
Distribution: India
Formation: Maleri Formation
Age: Late Triassic; Carnian
Classification: Basal sauropod
Length: 1.1 m (3.6 ft)
Weight: 2 kg (4.4 lbs)
Fossil remains: Femur and talus (anterior skull and vertebrae debated)
Lifestyle: Omnivore
Species: A. malerensis
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Alwalkeria (after British paleontologist Alick Walker) is a dubious genus of basal sauropodomorph dinosaur. Originally based on a variety of skeletal elements, the remains of this animal are widely believed to be that of a chimera; a fossil that contains the bones of multiple, often unrelated, animals. Parts of the skull have been assigned to a crurotarsan (a primitive crocodile relative) and the vertebrae to a protosaurian (long-necked, lizard-like archosaurs). The only fossil remains that are conclusively dinosaurian are the femur and ankle (astragalus) bones, which share features seen in saurischian dinosaurs. However, the exact phylogenic positioning of Alwalkeria is still up for debate.

The jaw remains, despite potentially belonging to an unrelated animal, are very similar to that of Eoraptor. The teeth are heterodont (there are at least two types of teeth with differences in shape and structure); the teeth at the front of the upper jaw are slender and straight, whilst the teeth behind are recurved and serrated. There is also a gap between the pre-maxilla and maxilla bones. As believed to be the case in Eoraptor, Alwalkeria was likely an omnivore.

Due to the scarcity of fossil remains, this reconstruction was heavily based on that of Eoraptor, with slight variation.

REFERENCES
Scott Hartman's Eoraptor skeletal was used to complete this piece, however there are changes used to distinguish alwalkeria as a seperate animal to Eoraptor. It can be found on his website, here: www.skeletaldrawing.com/saurop…

Description
Distribution: India
Formation: Maleri Formation
Age: Late Triassic; Carnian
Classification: Basal sauropod
Length: 1.1 m (3.6 ft)
Weight: 2 kg (4.4 lbs)
Fossil remains: Femur and talus (anterior skull and vertebrae debated)
Lifestyle: Omnivore
Species: A. malerensis
__________________________________________________________________________

Alwalkeria (after British paleontologist Alick Walker) is a dubious genus of basal sauropodomorph dinosaur. Originally based on a variety of skeletal elements, the remains of this animal are widely believed to be that of a chimera; a fossil that contains the bones of multiple, often unrelated, animals. Parts of the skull have been assigned to a crurotarsan (a primitive crocodile relative) and the vertebrae to a protosaurian (long-necked, lizard-like archosaurs). The only fossil remains that are conclusively dinosaurian are the femur and ankle (astragalus) bones, which share features seen in saurischian dinosaurs. However, the exact phylogenic positioning of Alwalkeria is still up for debate.

The jaw remains, despite potentially belonging to an unrelated animal, are very similar to that of Eoraptor. The teeth are heterodont (there are at least two types of teeth with differences in shape and structure); the teeth at the front of the upper jaw are slender and straight, whilst the teeth behind are recurved and serrated. There is also a gap between the pre-maxilla and maxilla bones. As believed to be the case in Eoraptor, Alwalkeria was likely an omnivore.

Due to the scarcity of fossil remains, this reconstruction was heavily based on that of Eoraptor, with slight variation.

REFERENCES
Scott Hartman's Eoraptor skeletal was used to complete this piece, however there are changes used to distinguish alwalkeria as a seperate animal to Eoraptor. It can be found on his website, here: www.skeletaldrawing.com/saurop…