Tawa

Sun god (Hopi)

• Tawa · Hopi · Hopi sun god / sun spirit

Tawa is named after the Hopi word for the sun god, Tawa, the Hopi Puebloan sun spirit. The name was chosen because the fossils were found in northern New Mexico, a region historically home to Puebloan peoples. Tawa is a small, early theropod that helped clarify the early evolution of dinosaurs.

Named by

Nesbitt et al.

Year named

2009

Period

Late Triassic

Stage

Norian

Found in

Chinle Formation, Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, USA

Early theropod dinosaur (type species Tawa hallae). The species name honors Ghost Ranch's Hall family.