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Compsognathus, Late JurassicAlcobaça Formation, France · named 1861
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Compsognathus

komp-SOG-nuh-thus

"elegant jaw"

Lived
155 to 145 million years ago, Late Jurassic
Diet
Carnivore
Length
about 1 m (3 ft)
Group
Theropods, Compsognathidae
Found in
France, Germany and Portugal
Named by
Wagner 1861

Size comparison

To scale

Where its fossils were found

The evidence

Today

4 finds

150 million years ago

Map: C. R. Scotese, PALEOMAP

Habitat

It probably hunted on islands beside shallow lagoons in what is now Europe. Juravenator inhabited the German island region, while Camarasaurus and Dacentrurus lived elsewhere in its European world.

Field notes

About Compsognathus

What it was like

Compsognathus was one of the smallest dinosaurs known, roughly the size of a chicken, and it grew to about 1 meter (3 feet) long including its tail. It walked on two long, slender legs and had small, grasping hands with sharp claws.

Its skull was light and narrow, with small sharp teeth suited for catching quick, small prey. Fossils of both known skeletons preserve the remains of small lizards in the stomach area, showing what this little hunter actually ate.

Its world

Compsognathus lived from about 155 to 145 million years ago, during the Late Jurassic, in what is now France, Germany, and Portugal. Its fossils come from formations including Alcobaça and Painten.

It lived alongside much larger dinosaurs, including the plant eaters Camarasaurus and Dacentrurus, as well as smaller theropods such as Aviatyrannis and Juravenator. Its small size and light frame suited a warm environment with plenty of low cover to dart through while hunting.

How it was found

Wagner named Compsognathus in 1861, making it one of the first dinosaurs known from a fairly complete skeleton. About 4 finds are known today, and its closest relatives, including Sinocalliopteryx and Huaxiagnathus, were also small, fast-moving theropods.

Field gallery

More views of Compsognathus

Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.

Compsognathus in its habitat, photo 1

1 of 7

Lived alongside

Found in the same rock formations

A rock formation can hold fossils laid down millions of years apart, so not every animal here met Compsognathus.

The evidence

The science behind Compsognathus

Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.

From its own fossils

  • Articulated skeletons from Germany and France show a narrow head, slender hindlegs and a long tail.
  • Small lizard remains inside the skeletons show what it ate.
  • Its hands had strong grasping fingers and a much smaller third finger.

Borrowed from relatives

  • Much of the skeleton is known from its own bones.
  • Sinosauropteryx offers a comparison for possible short filaments, while other theropods support probable lips.

Still unknown

  • The precise growth stages of the smaller German and larger French individuals.
  • Whether its body had scales, filaments or a mixture of both.
  • Its color and whether it lived in groups.

Often drawn wrong

  • A large raised sickle claw on the foot copies Velociraptor.
  • Older reconstructions give it only two fingers; its hand also had a small third finger.

Discovery timeline

  1. 1861Named itWagner
  2. 1998Close relativeChen, Dong & Zhen
  3. 2006Full descriptionPeyer
  4. 2007RedescriptionGISHLICK & GAUTHIER
  5. 2023Close relativeCullen et al.

Key papers

The research behind what we know of Compsognathus

Close relatives

Other members of Compsognathidae

Sources: Wikidata