Produced by the Population Genetics and Evolution class, Furman University

The Jurassic: Compsognathus
Compsognathus was one of the smallest dinosaurs to walk the Earth (Encyclopedia Britannica 2010). Compsognathus, which means “pretty or elegant jaw,” was one of the first dinosaurs to be known by a relatively complete skeleton - which was first found in Germany during the 1850s followed by a larger skeleton in France more than a century later (Wikipedia 2010). Compsognathus was a bipedal carnivorous theropod dinosaur that grew to about the size of a turkey and fed mostly on small lizards and insects, which has been determined by their fossilized remains in Compsognathus stomachs (Wikipedia 2010). It was lightly built with a long neck and tail, strong hind limbs, and tiny forelimbs (Wikipedia 2010). Its skull had five openings and was long and narrow with a tapered snout (Wikipedia 2010). Lastly, the teeth were short but sharp, with serrations only on the back teeth (Wikipedia 2010). With this body composition, it is hypothesized that Compsognathus was a swift and agile runner (Wikipedia 2010). Because Compsognathus is the smallest (and an ancient) dinosaur, it was considered to be a possible ancestor to Achaeopteryx and true birds (Raresource 2010). However, the recent discovery of feathered deinonychids suggests a different ancestry for Archaeopteryx (Raresource 2010). Compsognathus could have possessed down-like or short feathers (Raresource 2010), but there is no fossil evidence yet of Compsognathus posessing large, true feathers (Raresource 2010).

Page by Chapin Hardy
Compsognathus. Photo Credit: kidsdinos.com

Encyclopedia Britannica. 2010. Compsognathus. Accessed March 28, 2010.

Raresource. 2010. Compsognathus. Accessed March 28, 2010.

Wikipedia. 2010. Compsognathus. Accessed March 28, 2010.