Compsognathus (pronounced Komp – sog – nuh – thus) lived approx. 151 million years ago in what’s now Europe. It’s one of the smallest dinosaurs ever found and was just the size of a turkey.
It wasn’t very dangerous unless you’re a lizard, but it did have tiny saw-like teeth and strong arms for hunting small prey.
They may have hunted in packs or with other predators that were bigger than them.
Compsognathus means ‘elegant jaw’ in Greek because of its long thin jaws.
The first Compsognathus fossil was found in Germany in 1860.
With a speed of 40 mph (64 kph), Compsognathus was one of the fastest dinosaurs.
Compsognathus Size
Compsognathus was one of the smallest and shortest dinosaurs with a size of 89 – 125 cm (31-49 inches) long, and a height of less than 30 cm (12 inches), and just about 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) in weight; however, some specimens have been discovered even smaller than that, like the Microraptor, with a size of 47 cm (18 inches).
This dinosaur had feathers, but the feathers were not helpful for flying. Its body shape suggests that it couldn’t fly at all because its arms weren’t strong enough to hold its weight. The long tail may have been used to help it balance when standing on two legs.
Compsognathus diet - What did compsognathus eat?
This dinosaur was a carnivore (meat-eating), meaning it hunts and eats meat. Compsognathus diet is well-known because some fossils still had food inside their stomach. In addition, the long jaw and claws on its forearms made it easier for this dinosaur to catch and swallow small prey, like lizards and other small vertebrates.
Compsognathus didn’t waste much time chewing its food. Instead, it would just swallow its prey whole, as fossil remains have shown.
Compsognathus diet - What did compsognathus eat?
This dinosaur was a carnivore (meat-eating), meaning it hunts and eats meat. Compsognathus diet is well-known because some fossils still had food inside their stomach. In addition, the long jaw and claws on its forearms made it easier for this dinosaur to catch and swallow small prey, like lizards and other small vertebrates.
Compsognathus didn’t waste much time chewing its food. Instead, it would just swallow its prey whole, as fossil remains have shown.
Compsognathus Predators
Its high speed was also important to run away from other predators. However, even though Compsognathus had sharp teeth, they did not help defend against predators. The most significant danger this small dinosaur faced was other carnivores such as Allosaurus and Torvosaurus.
Compsognathus Facts - In a nutshell
- Compsognathus was a small, bipedal dinosaur.
- It was a carnivore and hunted lizards and other small animals.
- Lived during the Late Jurassic period (from 155 to 145 million years ago)
- Compsognathus is one of the best-researched dinosaurs because of the well-preserved fossils of several individuals in Germany and France.
- Reached a size of about 120 cm (4 feet)
- It’s one of the fastest dinosaurs – with an estimated speed of 40 mph (64 kph)
We know quite a bit about these creatures thanks to the excellent fossil remains discovered in Europe. Several complete skeletons of Compsognathus are known from the limestone quarry near Solnhofen, Bavaria, which belonged to one large lake. Compsognathus lived on the shores of this lake. They probably died during floods or droughts when they ventured out into the open water and became trapped with other prehistoric creatures like early birds, fish, turtles, crocodiles, etc.