Seitaad

sand monster (Seitaad, a monster of Navajo legend)

• Seitaad · Navajo · a sand-dwelling monster of Navajo myth that buries its victims in sand

Seitaad is named after a monster from Navajo tradition that lurks in sand dunes and engulfs its victims. The name was chosen because the type skeleton was found in the Navajo Sandstone, an ancient dune field, and appears to have been buried by a collapsing sand dune. The only named species, Seitaad ruessi, honours the artist and writer Everett Ruess, who disappeared in the region in 1934.

Named by

Sertich and Loewen

Year named

2010

Period

Early Jurassic

Found in

Navajo Sandstone, Utah, USA

A basal sauropodomorph (early relative of the long-necked sauropods), known from a single partial skeleton. The exact stage within the Early Jurassic is not given here because the dating of the Navajo Sandstone is uncertain.