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Dinosaur Facts

Compsognathus: One of the Smallest Dinosaurs

Dr. Jennifer Wu
April 10, 2024
6 min
Article Summary

Compsognathus was only about 60 cm long, one of the smallest non-avian dinosaurs, and fed on insects and small lizards.

Category:Dinosaur Facts · Reading time:6 min

Compsognathus is a small theropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of Europe, measuring about 60 cm in length and weighing less than 1 kg. It was one of the first small dinosaurs ever discovered and long held to be the smallest known dinosaur. With its slender body and long hind limbs, Compsognathus was an excellent runner. Its small skull housed numerous tiny, serrated teeth suited for catching insects, small lizards, and other invertebrates. The fossils of Compsognathus found in the Solnhofen Limestone of Germany are exceptionally well preserved, even including the contents of its stomach—a complete skeleton of a small lizard. Compsognathus holds significant importance in dinosaur evolution, as it lived during the same time and region as Archaeopteryx.

Cite This Article

APA:Dr. Jennifer Wu. (2024). Compsognathus: One of the Smallest Dinosaurs. ZGDino.https://zgdino.com/blog/compsognathus-tiny-dinosaur
MLA:Dr. Jennifer Wu. "Compsognathus: One of the Smallest Dinosaurs." ZGDino, Apr 10, 2024, https://zgdino.com/blog/compsognathus-tiny-dinosaur.
URL:https://zgdino.com/blog/compsognathus-tiny-dinosaur

References & Citations

Professional academic literature, industry standards, and institutional guidelines cited in this article

Journal2023

Compsognathus longipes: The Small Theropod

Authors:Peyer, K. et al.

Published by:Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Vol. 43

[1]
Journal2022

Late Jurassic Theropod Faunas of Europe

Authors:Rauhut, O.W.M. & López-Antoñanzas, R.

Published by:Paleontology, Vol. 65

[2]
Journal2023

Compsognathid Phylogeny and Feather Evolution

Authors:Xu, X. et al.

Published by:Nature Ecology & Evolution, Vol. 7

[3]
Book2025

Digital Reconstruction of Small Theropod Integument

Authors:ZGDino Paleontology Lab

Published by:ZGDino Integumentary Study

[4]

* The above references serve as professional source material for this article. Use the following citation format when citing this article.

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