Dinosaur genus
Compsognathus
Compsognathus is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 154.8–145.1 million years old, in France, Germany and Portugal.
Confidence labels are switched off. Facts with low confidence, or where sources disagree, still carry a small dot: tap it for the reason.
At a glance
Data as of 5 October 2026- Named by
- Wagner 1861
disputed
low: PBDB and Wikidata agree on who named it but give years more than one apart; an editor has not ruled yet.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Described in
- J. A. Wagner (1861). Neue Beiträge zur Kenntniss der urweltlichen Fauna des lithographischen Schiefers [New contributions to the knowledge of the ancient fauna of the lithographic slates]. Abhandlungen der königlichen bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaft, II Classe 9(1): 65–124.
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; its author and year match the naming authority (Wagner 1861).Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. The publication the Paleobiology Database gives as the authority for this genus name, usually the one that first named and described it.
- Lived
- Kimmeridgian to Tithonian, 154.8–145.1 million years ago
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Omnisaura calculation154.8–145.1 million years ago, from its dated fossil recordsmedium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 4 confirmed PBDB records.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Fossils found in
- FranceGermany
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).Portugallow
low: Only one PBDB record.low
low: Only one PBDB record.mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).
- Rock formations
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.
- Family
- Compsognathidae
high
high: PBDB and NHM agree.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Parent group
- Compsognathidae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Order
- Saurischia
medium
medium: Only NHM gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Gap filled from NHM.
- Species named in its records
- Compsognathus corallestris, Compsognathus longipes
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (the species its fossil records are identified as).
- Diet
- carnivore, insectivore (inferred for its group)
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB, inferred from a group the genus belongs to.
- Way of life
- ground dwelling (inferred for its group)
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB, inferred from a group the genus belongs to.
- Known from
- Bones
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).
Gaps are answers
What isn't known yet
- Type species: no source we use gives it yet.
- Common names: no source we use gives it yet.
- What it was named after: no source we use gives it yet.
- Resting on one source: 5 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): parent group (PBDB); order (NHM); age (headline) (PBDB); diet (PBDB); way of life (PBDB).
Size and appearance aren't covered yet, and diet and way of life only as PBDB infers them for the wider group. Omnisaura leaves the rest out rather than guess.
Where sources disagree
1 openAuthority
- Wagner 1861PBDB (shown above)
- Johann Andreas Wagner, 1859Wikidata
The sources agree on who named it but give different years. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.
Did it meet…?
No. Compsognathus had gone at least 61.5 million years before Tyrannosaurus appears in the fossil record.
Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.
Connections
Genera linked to Compsognathus by where and when their fossils were found, by classification and by who named them. Select a name to open its page.
Same rocks, same time 5
Genera found in the same rock units, from rocks of overlapping age, the most shared fossil sites first.
Same family: Compsognathidae 4
Other genera in Compsognathidae with a full profile.
Named by Wagner 1
Genera whose naming authority includes the same surname. The authority has no initials, so different people who share a surname can appear together.
Found in France 6
Other genera found in France, from rocks of overlapping age, the most fossil sites there first.
Credits
Where this page comes from
- Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
- Natural History Museum Data PortalCC0 1.0 · catalogued specimens
- WikidataCC0 1.0 · names and identifiers
- OmnisauraOmnisaura editorial · confidence levels and gaps
- PaleoMAP PaleoCoastlines (Kocsis and Scotese 2021)CC BY 4.0 · ancient coastlines on the small map
- Natural EarthPublic domain · today's coastlines
Pictures linked from this page are credited beside each one, with their own licences; the full list is in the JSON download.