Artists impression of Tawa hallae

Dentition of this carniverous Dinosaur

Fossilised hand of Tawa hallae

TAWA hallae Dinosaur

A largely complete skeleton of a new carniverous Dinosaur species, Tawa hallae, was discovered at the end of 2009, at Hayden Quarry, Ghost Ranch, New Mexico. The creature dates from the Late Triassic, 215 million years old.
 
Although known from finds in 2004, this is the best example yet found, and it answers some long standing questions about Dinosaur evolution.
 
Tawa was 2 to 4 metres long, and around a metre and a half at the hip. It possessed a long tail, and long flexible neck.
 
The latest discovery is important for two main reasons;
It tells a great deal about the early diversification of Dinosaurs, and, secondly, it demonstrates that the bone characteristics of later fheropods and modern birds, evolved very early on. 
 
Tawa was named after the Hopi word for the Puebloan Sun God, and hallae honours Ruth Hall, founder of the Ghost Ranch Museum of Paleontology.