New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science

 

Coelophysis


Coelophysis bauri
Early dinosaur
 Pronunciation: see-low-FY-sis BOW-rye
Meaning: From Greek koilos, "hollow," and physis, " form"
Size: 9.8 feet/3 meters long
Diet: Meat Eater
Age: Late Triassic (205-210 million years ago)
Specimen Number: NMMNH P-42200
Location: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
Image By: David Baccadutre
Date: Spring 2008

About 2 meters (6.5 feet) long, lightly built and bipedal (walking on hind legs), Coelophysis was a quick and agile predator of the Late Triassic floodplain. The long curved neck, relatively large eyes, and grasping hands suggest that the dinosaur was a visual hunter that grabbed its prey (insects, small reptiles, and mammals) with its mouth or hands.

See a reconstruction of a Coelophysis here.