Open Paleo

Procompsognathus

Fraas, 1913 pro-comp-sog-nay-thus /ˌproʊkɒmpˈsɒɡnəθəs/

From Greek pro- (πρό, 'before' or 'precursor of') prefixed to Compsognathus (Greek kompsos 'elegant' + gnathos 'jaw'); meaning 'before Compsognathus' or 'precursor of the elegant jaw'

227.3–205.7 million years ago Norian, Late Triassic
Late Triassic stages

Procompsognathus is an extinct genus of coelophysid theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 210 million years ago during the later part of the Triassic Period, in what is now Germany. Procompsognathus was a small-sized, lightly built, ground-dwelling, bipedal carnivore, that could grow up to 1 m (3.3 ft) long.

Under dispute

Procompsognathus triassicus is a defining taxon of Coelophysidae (Sereno, 1998) but is placed only within the broader Coelophysoidea by Jones (2026); its holotype may be composite, with associated skull material reassigned to a crocodylomorph.

Diagnosis

  1. Exceedingly long-legged, jumping dinosaur morphology
  2. Hind leg approximately 0.315 m long with bird-like development; three middle metatarsals fusible to completed bird foot
  3. All bones thin-walled and hollow; ossified tarsus completely absent
  4. Delicate skull and forelimbs relative to body size
  5. Approximately 0.75 m total length, somewhat larger than Upper Jurassic Compsognathus longipes

Species

Procompsognathus triassicus Fraas, 1913

Type species

From Latin 'triassicus' meaning 'Triassic', referring to the geologic time period in which the animal lived.

Holotype
SMNS 12591 , Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde
Material
Skeleton with skull, middle trunk section with limbs, anterior tail section; 0.75 m total length; exceedingly delicate construction with bird-like hind leg development
Horizon
middle Löwenstein Formation, Norian, Late Triassic , 227.3–205.7 million years ago
Locality
Weisser Steinbruch, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

References

  1. Fraas, E. (1913). Die neuesten Dinosaurierfunde in der schwäbischen Trias [The latest dinosaur finds in the Swabian Triassic]. Naturwissenschaften 1(45): 1097-1100. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1007/BF01493265 fraas1913a
  2. Sereno, P. C. (1998). A rationale for phylogenetic definitions, with application to the higher-level taxonomy of Dinosauria. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 210: 41-83. doi:10.1127/njgpa/210/1998/41

    Treated Procompsognathus as a defining taxon of Coelophysidae.

    sereno1998a
  3. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Theropods. Princeton University Press.

    Treats Procompsognathus as a valid coelophysoid of uncertain status.

    jones2026c