(Fremont County, WY) – Paleontologists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison have discovered a new dinosaur species, Ahvaytum bahndooiveche, which lived in modern-day central Wyoming around 230 million years ago, making it the oldest known North American dinosaur species.
Ahvaytum bahndooiveche was a small, chicken-sized dinosaur with a long tail. The researchers used high-precision dating methods to confirm the dinosaur’s age.
Researchers also found what may have been dinosaur tracks nearby, suggesting that dinosaurs may have been present in the region even earlier.
This discovery also marks the first dinosaur species named in the language of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, which played a significant role in the naming process. Researchers collaborated with tribal elders and students to determine the name. Ahvaytum bahndooiveche means “long ago dinosaur” in Shoshone.
Here is an explanation provided to researchers by an Eastern Shoshone Elder: