   #copyright

Compsognathus

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Dinosaurs

           iCompsognathus

                         Fossil range: Late Jurassic

   Compsognathus head in Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
   Compsognathus head in Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

                             Conservation status

   Extinct (fossil)
                       Scientific classification

   Kingdom:    Animalia
   Phylum:     Chordata
   Class:      Sauropsida
   Superorder: Dinosauria
   Order:      Saurischia
   Suborder:   Theropoda
   Infraorder: Coelurosauria
   Family:     Compsognathidae
   Genus:      Compsognathus

                                Binomial name

   Compsognathus longipes
   Wagner, 1859

   Compsognathus /kɒmp'sɒg.næ.θʊs/ meaning 'elegant jaw' ( Greek
   kompsos/κομψος meaning 'elegant', 'refined' or 'dainty' and
   gnathos/γναθος meaning 'jaw') was a small bipedal carnivorous theropod
   dinosaur, the size of a chicken that lived in the late Jurassic Period
   of what is now Europe, with fossil finds from Germany, France and
   perhaps Portugal.

   For many years, Compsognathus was widely known as the smallest
   dinosaur, however several others are now known to have been smaller.
   These include Microraptor, Parvicursor and Caenagnathasia.

Discovery and species

   Compsognathus cast in Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
   Enlarge
   Compsognathus cast in Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

   Compsognathus is known from two nearly-complete skeletons, one from
   Germany that is 90 cm long and another from France that is 125 cm.
   Other skeletons indicate a size range from 70-140 cm. Teeth from
   Portugal have also been assigned to the genus. Although the French
   specimen was originally described as a separate species (Compsognathus
   corallestris), both it and the German specimen are now thought to be
   Compsognathus longipes. A partial foot had also been referred to
   Compsognathus but this has subsequently been disproven.

Paleobiology

   Compsognathus may have had only two digits on the forelimb, since no
   bones of a third digit have been found. However, the 'hands' are
   disarticulated, so this is still uncertain. It appears that
   Compsognathus preyed on small vertebrates, since remains of the lizard
   Bavarisaurus have been found in its thoracic cavity.
   Compsognathus model in Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
   Enlarge
   Compsognathus model in Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

   For many years, Compsognathus was the only well-known small theropod
   and was thus compared to Archaeopteryx as a dinosaurian ancestor or
   relative of birds. It is now known that many other kinds of dinosaurs
   were more closely related to birds, including Segnosaurus, Oviraptor
   and Deinonychus.

Feathers

   It is often argued that Compsognathus lacked feathers, because none are
   preserved with either skeleton, while Archaeopteryx, which was found in
   the same sediments, sometimes preserves feathers. However, the only
   feathers always preserved on Archaeopteryx are the large ones on the
   wings and tail. The short feathers which cover the body are rarely
   preserved. A relative of Compsognathus, Sinosauropteryx, only has short
   feathers, so it is possible Compsognathus was feathered too.

In popular culture

   Compsognathus appeared in the movies The Lost World: Jurassic Park and
   Jurassic Park 3 (erroneously identified in the former as "Compsognathus
   triassicus", combining the genus name of Compsognathus with the species
   name of Procompsognathus, the small carnivore featured in the Jurassic
   Park novels). In The Lost World, the "compys" were shown as being very
   social animals that hunted in packs. A pack of these animals attacked a
   girl, wounding her, and another pack killed a man who had fallen down a
   cliff. In Jurassic Park 3 they were not as vicious, seen only briefly
   eating insects. They are prominantly featured in various Jurassic Park
   video games, such as the PC game Jurassic Park: Dino Defender and the
   first SNES Jurassic Park game.

   They are also featured in the Turok: Dinosaur Hunter series of video
   games, which also portrays them as having a pack behaviour.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compsognathus"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
