Compsognathus

tiny dinosaur · theropod · jurassic period · bipedal hunter

Chicken-sized dinosaur. Compsognathus longipes was incredibly small for a dinosaur, growing to about the same size as a chicken. This made it one of the smallest known meat-eating dinosaurs that ever lived.

Two-legged runner. Like many theropod dinosaurs, Compsognathus walked and ran on its hind legs. Its powerful back legs let it chase down small prey across ancient European landscapes.

Fierce little hunter. Despite its tiny size, Compsognathus was a carnivore that hunted smaller animals for food. Paleontologists believe it caught insects, small reptiles, and maybe early birds.

Late Jurassic resident. Compsognathus lived about 150 million years ago during the Tithonian age of the late Jurassic period. This was a time when giant dinosaurs like Brachiosaurus ruled the Earth.

Perfectly preserved fossils. Scientists have found only two well-preserved Compsognathus skeletons, one discovered in Germany in the 1850s and another found in France over a hundred years later. These ancient remains help us understand how these tiny dinosaurs looked and lived.