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| More Dinosaur Fact Sheets | EnchantedLearning.com Compsognathus Fact Sheet |
Dinosaur/Paleontology Dictionary |
| NAME: | Meaning - Compsognathus means "pretty jaw" Pronounced - KOMP-sog-NAH-thus or komp-SOG-no-thus Named By - Johann A. Wagner When Named - 1859 |
| DIET: | Carnivore (meat-eater) - Compsognathus caught and ate small animals, including insects and lizards. John Ostrom found fossilized remains from a Compsognathus' stomach that contained the skeleton of the fast-running lizard Bavarisaurus. |
| SIZE: | Length - 28 inches-4.6 feet (0.7-1.4 m) long Height - 10 inches (26 cm) tall at the hips Weight - 6.5 pounds (3 kg) |
| WHEN IT LIVED: | Late Jurassic period, about 155-145 million years ago |
| WHERE IT LIVED: | Fossils have been found in Germany and France, Europe. |
| FOSSILS: | Compsognathus was first discovered by Dr. Oberndorfer in limestone deposits in the Riedenburg-Kelheim region of Bavaria, southern Germany in the late 1850's. Compsognathus is known from two fossilized skeletons. |
| CLASSIFICATION: |
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| INTERESTING FACTS: |
Compsognathus was about the size of a chicken and is one of the smallest-known dinosaurs. It walked on two long, thin legs, had three-toed feet, a small, pointed head with small, sharp teeth, hollow bones, and a long, flexible neck. Compsognathus had short arms with two clawed fingers on each hand. A long tail acted as a counterbalance and for stability during fast turns. |
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