Coelophysis

Name meaning:

Hollow form

Period of life:

212 mya

Period:

Triassic period

Habitat:

Deserts and semi-deserts

Taxonomy:

Theropods

Countries:

Triassic period Coelophysis | 3D Dinopedia

Bandringa

Eoraptor

Coelophysis (212 mya)

Name means «hollow form», because the structure of the skeleton includes some bones and vertebrae that are hollow inside.

Coelophysis was a small but extremely agile dinosaur of the Late Triassic period. It lived around 215–209 million years ago in what is now North America and southern Africa.

Its body was light and flexible, allowing Coelophysis to launch quickly and reach a respectable speed. This combination of traits made it an excellent hunter. Its eyes were large and forward-facing, giving it binocular vision — much like a hawk’s — which helped it judge distances to prey with precision.

Adult Coelophysis reached about three metres in length, stood roughly one metre tall, and weighed around 30 kilograms. Its long body was balanced by a slender tail that helped maintain stability during fast running. A narrow skull with sharp, serrated teeth was perfectly suited for seizing and holding small prey. Its flexible neck allowed it to snap up animals with ease, while the forelimbs had mobile joints and three long, clawed fingers. There was also a fourth finger — short and clawless — which was probably useless in hunting.

Coelophysis fed on a varied diet: small reptiles, early mammals, fish, silesaurids — close relatives of dinosaurs — as well as small pseudosuchians, near the ancestors of modern crocodiles. At times it may also have eaten insects or carrion when prey was scarce.

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