Compsognathus
comp-sog-NAY-thuss
Compsognathus is one of the smallest theropods ever to have existed, at under 1m in length and weighing little over 2kg – roughly the size of a chicken. Despite its small stature Compsognathus is a carnivore, using its speed and agility to hunt down lizards, insects and even other small dinosaurs. Compsognathus’ name translates to ‘pretty jaw’, a reference to its long, narrow snout.
Discovery
This dinosaur was discovered by fossil collector Joseph Oberndorfer in around 1859 and formed part of a collection of bones he excavated in Bavaria, Germany. The discovery consisted of a near-complete skeleton and was the only known Compsognathus specimen until over a century later in 1971, when another partial skeleton was found in Nice, France.
Palaeoecology
Compsognathus existed during the Late Jurassic period around 150 million years ago and roamed the lagoons and beaches of Central Europe, which was comprised of many smaller islands at the time. It lived alongside numerous other dinosaurs and lizards – in fact, examination of the Bavarian skeleton’s stomach found the remains of a Bavarisaurus, a small lizard.
Information
- Era
- Late Jurassic
- Family
- Compsognathidae
- Genus
- Compsognathus
- Height
- 0.3M
- Length
- 1M
- Weight
- 2.3Kg
- Diet
- Carnivore Feeder
- Egg batch size
- 4 - 6
