Compsognathus was a carnivore. It lived in the Jurassic period and inhabited Europe. Its fossils have been found in places such as Bavaria (Germany), Alentejo (Portugal) and Drôme (France).

Quick facts about Compsognathus:

  • Existed from 157.3 million years ago to Tithonian Age
  • Lived in a terrestrial habitat
  • Was a insectivore
  • Reproduced by laying eggs
  • Had a body mass of approximately 2.5 kg
  • 4 different specimens have been found by paleontologists

All the Compsognathus illustrations below were collected from the internet. Enjoy and explore:

Compsognathus was described by the following scientific paper(s):
  • A. Bidar and L. Demay. 1972. Compsognathus corallestris, nouvelle espèce de dinosaurien théropode du Portlandien de Canjuers (sud-est de la France). Annales du Musée d'Histoire Naturelle de Nice 1(1):1-34
  • H. v. Meyer. 1839. Zu meiner nun vor fast zehn Jahren gemachten und unausgesetzt verfolgten Entdeckung... [On my constantly pursued discovery, now made almost ten years ago...]. Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Geognosie, Geologie und Petrfaktenkunde 1839:76-79
  • P. Gervais. 1873. Chapitre III. Remarques au sujet des reptiles provenant des calcaires lithographiques de Cerin, dans le Bugey, qui sont conservés au Musée de Lyon [Chapter III. Remarks on subject of the reptiles found in the lithographic limestones of Cerin, in Bugey, that are kept in the Musée de Lyon]. Annales de la Société d’Agriculture, Histoire Naturelle et Arts Utiles de Lyon, quatrième série 5:79-85