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sharp-clawed runner
Procompsognathus
Say it like this: “pro-comp-sog-nay-thus”
Procompsognathus triassicus
Procompsognathus ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Triassic. Bones have been found in Germany.
- When
- Late Triassic (Norian) · roughly 227.3 to 205.7 million years ago
- Named in
- 1913 · Fraas, E.
- Hip height
- 0.3 m · 1 ft
- Length
- 0.8–1.1 m · 2–4 ft
- Weight
- 1 kg · 2 lb
- Found in
- Germany · Löwenstein
- Food and walking
- Carnivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Coelophysidae
The story in short
Procompsognathus was formally named in 1913 by E. Fraas. The name means “before Compsognathus.”
Fossils referred to Procompsognathus date to the Late Triassic (Norian), roughly 227.3 to 205.7 million years ago. Finds come from Germany, including the Löwenstein Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Procompsognathus at a length near 0.8–1.1 m, hips about 0.3 m high, and a body mass around 1 kg.
On the family tree it sits in Coelophysidae, among the theropod dinosaurs.
Close relatives
Camposaurus
Camposaurus arizonensis
Late Triassic (Norian) · roughly 227.3 to 205.7 million years ago
Coelophysis
Coelophysis bauri
Late Triassic (Norian · Rhaetian) · roughly 227.3 to 201.4 million years ago
Lucianovenator
Lucianovenator bonoi
Late Triassic (Norian) · roughly 227.3 to 205.7 million years ago