Procompsognathus - Facts and Figures

Name: Procompsognathus (Greek for before the elegant jaw); pronounced PRO-comp-SOG-nah-thuss Habitat: Swamps of western Europe Historical Period: Late Triassic (210 million years ago) Size and Weight: About four feet long and 5-10 pounds Diet: Small animals and insects Distinguishing Characteristics: Small size; bipedal posture; long legs and snout About Procompsognathus Despite its name--before Compsognathus--the evolutionary relationship of Procompsognathus to the later and much-better known Compsognathus is uncertain at best. Because of the poor quality of this dinosaurs fossil remains, the best we can say about Procompsognathus is that it was a carnivorous reptile, but beyond that, its unclear if it was an early theropod dinosaur or a late archosaur akin to the bipedal Marasuchus (and thus not a dinosaur at all). In either event, though, Procompsognathus (and other reptiles like it) certainly lay at the base of later dinosaur evolution, either as direct progenitors of this fearsome breed or great-uncles a few times removed. One of the little known facts about Procompsognathus is that it was this dinosaur, and not Compsognathus, that had cameos in Michael Crichtons novels Jurassic Park and The Lost World. Crichton portrays compies as slightly venomous (in the books, Procompsognathus bites render their victims drowsy and ready for the kill), as well as eager consumers of sauropod poop. Needless to say, both of these attributes are complete inventions; to date, paleontologists have yet to identify any venomous dinosaurs, and there is no fossil evidence that any dinosaurs ate excrement (though its certainly not outside the range of possibility).