Name meaning: Elegant Jaw
Height: 30 cm (12 inches)
Length: 1 meter (3 feet)
Weight: Around 3 kg
Compsognathus, often referred to simply as "Compy", is a chicken-sized coelurosaurian dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period (around 150 million years ago). It was first discovered in Germany before the only other specimen to be found was unearthed in France. Compys typically hunt small lizards and insects, but like other opportunistic theropods, will scavenge larger animal carcasses when available.
Compsognathus has a creative attack tactic for their small size. The alpha appears first and confronts the victim, who is surrounded by the other Compys before he/she knows they are coming. While the prey is interacting with the Alpha, or ignoring it, the others will eventually spring and attack the victim, usually overwhelming it. However, there is currently no evidence that Compsognathus hunted in packs, due a shortage of specimens.
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