Compsognathus Facts
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Height | 0.3m |
| Length | 1m |
| Weight | 800 g |
| Speed | 64 km/h |
| Environment | Land |
| Era | Jurassic |
| Period | Late Jurassic |
| Type | Theropod |
| Location | Germany And France |

| Diet | Carnivore |
| Height | 0.3m |
| Length | 1m |
| Weight | 800 g |
| Speed | 64 km/h |
| Environment | Land |
| Era | Jurassic |
| Period | Late Jurassic |
| Type | Theropod |
| Location | Germany And France |
Compsognathus was one of the smallest known dinosaurs, a tiny theropod that lived around 150 million years ago during the Late Jurassic period. About the size of a modern chicken, this diminutive predator scurried through the ancient landscapes of what is now Germany and France on its long, slender legs.
Despite its small size, Compsognathus was perfectly designed for hunting. It had a lightweight build with hollow bones, large eyes for spotting prey, and sharp, pointed teeth ideal for catching small animals. Its long tail made up about half its total body length and helped it maintain balance whilst running and turning quickly during pursuit.
This tiny theropod primarily hunted insects, small lizards, and other creatures it could overpower. Remarkably, one German fossil preserves the remains of a small lizard called Bavarisaurus in the dinosaur's stomach area, providing direct evidence of what Compsognathus ate. The creature's delicate build and swift movements made it well-suited for chasing fast-moving prey through the coastal environments where it lived.
Compsognathus is known from two exceptionally well-preserved fossils, both found in fine limestone deposits that captured incredible detail. These specimens have been crucial in understanding early theropod anatomy and have helped palaeontologists learn about the relationship between small dinosaurs and modern birds.
Compsognathus was distinguished by its extremely small size, long slender neck, and proportionally large head with sharp pointed teeth. Its most notable feature was its exceptionally long tail, which made up roughly half of its total body length and was held stiffly behind the body for balance.
Compsognathus was likely a swift and agile hunter that relied on speed to catch small prey such as insects, lizards, and possibly small mammals. It probably lived alone or in small groups, using its keen eyesight and quick reflexes to snatch prey from the ground or low vegetation.
Compsognathus appeared memorably in the 1997 film The Lost World: Jurassic Park, where a pack of them attacked characters on the beach, though they were portrayed as more aggressive than the real animals likely were.
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Saurischia |
| Order | Avetheropoda |
| Family | Compsognathidae |
| Genus | Compsognathus |
Compsognathus was first described by Johann Andreas Wagner in 1859. The original fossils were discovered at Solnhofen Limestone, Bavaria, Germany.