Fun Compsognathus Facts For Kids

Compsognathus were small dinosaurs who lived in the continent of Europe. They were small dinosaurs who were of the size of a big chicken or turkey. According to research, Compsognathus were present on earth during the later Jurassic period around 150 million years ago. They were extremely fast runners and behind this fast speed, there were their hollow strong legs. They had three fingers on their feet. They had a small skull, a thin body, and a long tail. In their skeleton studies, it was found that Compsognathus was related to ancient birds, archaeopteryx.

Now, this is just the introduction. If you liked it then wait for what's coming in the article ahead. You will surely be amazed!

And for more relevant content read our Camarasaurus facts and Pachycephalosaurus facts for kids.

How do you pronounce 'Compsognathus'?

Compsognathus can be pronounced as 'comp-sog-nuh-thus'. They were a small theropod species that inhabited the Earth during the late Jurassic period. They were present on Earth around 150 million years ago during the Tithonian age. They were the size of a big chicken and ate meat.

What type of dinosaur was a Compsognathus?

Compsognathus was a carnivorous dinosaur from the Late Jurassic period. They were inhabitants of this world during the Tithonian age. Compsognathus were theropods who had hollow bones for agility. It is also believed that they were relatives to archaeopteryx birds. Compsognathus was a small (dinosaur) reptile who belonged to the dinosaur clade Theropoda and Saurischia. They were species in the family Compsognathidae and under the subfamily Compsognathinae. Their genus is Compsognathus and their scientific name is Compsognathus longipes.

In which geological period did the Compsognathus roam the Earth?

Compsognathus roamed the world during the Later Jurassic period around 150 million years ago. They roamed the continent of Europe during the Tithonian age. The fossil remains of this small dinosaur were found in Germany and France. According to paleontologists, they were chicken-sized dinosaurs who ate meat.

When did the Compsognathus become extinct?

According to the fossils found, Compsognathus were small dinosaurs and their body size can be related to a big chicken. There is no information with proof or evidence available for when they became extinct. We can assume that they went extinct by the end of the Jurassic period.

Where did a Compsognathus live?

According to their fossil remains, Compsognathus dinosaurs were terrestrial animals who were of the size of a big chicken. They were carnivorous in nature and hunted smaller animals. They would have stayed in forest areas or maybe in open lands.

What was a Compsognathus' habitat?

Compsognathus dinosaurs were terrestrial animals who followed a carnivorous diet. Their fossil remains were found in the continent of Europe. One of the Compsognathus fossils was found in Germany while another Compsognathus fossil was found in France. So this is evidence that these animals roamed Europe. These dinosaurs inhabited the world during the Late Jurassic period.

Who did a Compsognathus live with?

Now this question is a bit tricky! As there is no fact-based answer available for this question, we have to assume. From the Compsognathus skeleton, we know that they were small meat-eating lizards. Carnivorous species in general either live in packs or live a solitary life. In the case of Compsognathus, we can assume that they were group feeders, as they were small and needed help while hunting.

How long did a Compsognathus live?

Paleontologists have a theory for carnivorous dinosaurs. Paleontologists believe that the size of a carnivorous dinosaur tells about its average lifespan. The bigger the dinosaur, the longer lifespan it has and the small dinosaur is, the lesser lifespan it has. In history, Compsognathus were small lizards, so their lifespan is estimated between 5-10 years.

How did they reproduce?

Compsognathus were reptiles who lived during the later Jurassic period. They roamed the continent of Europe and their fossils were found in Germany and France. Now the gist of the story is that they were reptiles and we know that reptiles reproduce by laying eggs. We really don't know anything about their breeding season but what we know is that they were egg-laying lizards. Compsognathus size is related to a big chicken so we can assume that their babies were of the size of chicks or maybe a bit bigger.

What did a Compsognathus look like?

Compsognathus were theropods who lived in Europe. They were present in this world during the later Jurassic period around 150 million years ago. Compsognathus' diet was mainly based on meat. They were small chicken-sized hunters who ate smaller species. As said, Compsognathus were in the dinosaur clade Theropoda. Theropoda dinosaurs were those who had smaller, hollow bones in their body. They had bigger legs, in their feet, there were three toes and sharp claws. Compsognathus lizard species also had a similar-looking body. They had a small skull, a thin body, and a long tail. They moved on two legs that were hollow. Compsognathus skull was small and had front-facing eyes. They had a pretty jaw that had numerous sharp teeth inside. From Compsognathus fossilized specimen, it was proved that they were relative to ancient flying birds archaeopteryx, in the family of pterosaurs. Compsognathus was once recognized as one of the smallest dinosaurs. Their hind legs were bigger and stronger than their hands. They actually had smaller hands equipped with small fingers. They used their long tail for balancing their body when they moved. One of the fossils found in France was around 4.1-4.6 ft (1.3-1.4 m) in length and their weight range was estimated around 5.5-7.7 lbs (2.5-3.5 kg). Compsognathus height range can be compared to the height of a big chicken.

How many bones did a Compsognathus have?

There is no information available on exactly how many bones they had. These lizard species were small land-dwelling creatures who had a small skull, sharp jaw, strong hind legs, thin body, and a long tail.

How did they communicate?

This is still a big mystery. An accurate Compsognathus call is yet to be known. Maybe they had a screeching voice or maybe had a growling voice. Maybe they had a specific call for communication.

How big was a Compsognathus?

Compsognathus dinosaurs were small lizard species that were found in Europe. They were one of the smallest land dinosaurs. Their body length was around 4.1-4.6 ft (1.25-1.4 m) and their body weight was around 5.5-7.7 lbs (2.5-3.5 kg).

How fast could a Compsognathus move?

It is considered that Compsognathus could run at an estimated speed of 40 mph (64.4 kph). Being one of the fastest bipedal species, their speed was one of their best defensive adaptations.

How much did a Compsognathus weigh?

Compsognathus was small chicken-sized dinosaurs who roamed the land. Their length was between 4.1-4.6 ft (1.25-1.4 m) and their weight was around 5.5-7.7 lbs (2.5-3.5 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no sex-specific names given to the male or female Compsognathus dinosaurs.

What would you call a baby Compsognathus?

Like all other dinosaur babies, baby Compsognathus are also known as hatchlings.

What did they eat?

Compsognathus were most probably group feeders. They were carnivorous in nature and ate meat.

How aggressive were they?

Compsognathus was very aggressive in nature. Not a lot of information is available about them but this much is known from their specimens that they were aggressive and were very temperamental.

Did you know...

As we know, there were two major fossils of Compsognathus found in Europe. The fossil from Germany was found in the year 1859 and the second fossil from France was found around 1970.

Was the Compsognathus poisonous?

Yes, from several kinds of research it was cleared that Compsognathus had poisonous fangs. They used their poisonous bite to kill their prey faster.

Did Compsognathus live in packs?

Most probably yes. Compsognathus were small carnivorous lizards. For killing their prey, they would have made groups.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures from our Spiclypeus fun facts or Ziapelta facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Compsognathus coloring pages.

Main image by Nobu Tamura.