Compsognathus

Compsognathus was a diminutive predatory dinosaur that inhabited the archipelagos of Late Jurassic Europe. For many decades it was celebrated as the smallest known non-avian dinosaur, famously comparable in size to a modern chicken, though larger adult remains from France show it could reach just over a metre in length. It possessed a delicate, elongated skull, slender jaws lined with small pointed teeth, and long hind limbs built for rapid acceleration. Exceptional fossils from the famous Solnhofen Limestone preserved gut contents, revealing that it chased and swallowed small, agile lizards. While direct feather impressions have not been preserved in Compsognathus, close relatives like Sinosauropteryx demonstrate that the compsognathid lineage bore simple protofeathers. Compsognathus remains a foundational milestone in understanding theropod evolution and bird relationships.

A German specimen of Compsognathus preserves the complete, articulated skeleton of a fast-running lizard called Bavarisaurus inside its abdominal cavity.

Where and when

Compsognathus lived in the Late Jurassic, from 152 to 149 million years ago (Tithonian age). Its remains come from Germany and France, in the Solnhofen Limestone.

The numbers

Length 1 m (estimates run from 0.7 to 1.3 m). Mass about 1.2 kg. Hip height about 0.3 m. That is 0.6 human-lengths, or 0.09 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from near-complete skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, hip height.

Compare Compsognathus with a bus Place on the timeline