Procompsognathus

Taxobox
name = "Procompsognathus"
fossil_range = Late Triassic

---

image_caption = Life-sized model of "Procompsognathus triassicus"
image_width = 200px
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
superordo = Dinosauria
ordo = Saurischia
subordo = Theropoda
familia = Coelophysidae?
genus = "Procompsognathus"
genus_authority=Fraas, 1913
subdivision_ranks=Species
subdivision=
*"P. triassicus" Fraas, 1913 (type)

"Procompsognathus" (pronEng|ˌproʊkɒmpˈsɒgnəθəs) is a genus of small theropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Triassic Period, about 222 to 219 million years ago. "Procompsognathus" was named by Eberhard Fraas in 1913. He named the type species, "P. triassicus", on the basis of a poorly-preserved skeleton found in Württemberg, Germany.

The name is derived from "Compsognathus" meaning 'elegant jaw' (Greek "kompsos/κομψος" meaning 'elegant', 'refined' or 'dainty' and "gnathos/γναθος" meaning 'jaw'), which was a later (Jurassic) dinosaur. The prefix "προ/pro" implies 'before' or 'ancestor of', although this direct lineage is not supported by subsequent research.

Paleobiology

"Procompsognathus" may have been about 1.2 meters long (4 ft). A biped, it had long hind legs, short arms, large clawed hands, a long slender snout with many small teeth, and a stiff tail. It lived in a relatively dry, inland environment and may have eaten insects, lizards, and other small prey.

Classification

While it is undoubtedly a small, bipedal carnivore, the extremely poor preservation of the only known "Procompsognathus" fossil makes its exact identity difficult to determine. It has historically been considered a theropod dinosaur, though some, such as Allen (2004), have found "Procompsognathus" to be a primitive, non-dinosaurian ornithodiran. [Allen (2004). "The phylogenetic status of "Procompsognathus" revisited." "Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology", 24(3)] However, Rauhut and Hungerbuhler (2000) noted features of the vertebrae that suggest it may be a coelophysid or ceratosaur, and Carrano "et al." (2005), in their re-study of the related genus "Segisaurus", found both "Segisaurus" and "Procompsognathus" to belong to the Coelophysidae within Dinosauria. [Rauhut and Hungerbuhler (2000). "A review of European Triassic theropods." "Gaia" 15, 75-88.] [Carrano, M.T, Hutchinson, J.R, Sampson, S.D. (2005). "New information on "Segisaurus halli", a small theropod dinosaur from the Early Jurassic of Arizona." "Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology". 25(4):835-849.]

In popular culture

In Michael Crichton's novels "Jurassic Park" and "The Lost World", "Procompsognathus" (often referred to as "compys") are one of the extinct species recreated through genetic engineering. Crichton portrays these dinosaurs as being venomous, a characteristic invented for the novel and not supported by fossil evidence. He also portrays them as scavengers and coprophagists (eaters of feces), useful in keeping the park clean of sauropod excrement. In the adaptation of "The Lost World", "Procompsognathus" were replaced with the distantly related coelurosaur "Compsognathus". However, in the second film, Robert Burke refers to them as "Compsognathus triassicus" ("triassicus" being the type species of "Procompsognathus").

In Eric Garcia's trio of "Rex" novels, "Procompsognathus" is one of sixteen genera to survive into the present day. As in "Jurassic Park", Garcia refers to them as "compys".

References

External links

* [http://www.dinodata.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7169&Itemid=67 "Procompsognathus" at DinoData]