Compsognathidae

† Compsognathidae is a family of small carnivorous coelurosaur theropods, including Compsognathus and the feathered Chinese Sinosauropteryx. Chinese Early Cretaceous members are especially significant as the first non-avian dinosaurs known to have had integumentary filaments (proto-feathers), fundamentally reshaping understanding of the dinosaur-bird evolutionary transition.

Diet & Feeding

Carnivore

Compsognathidae was a meat-eating predator. Carnivorous dinosaurs were active hunters or scavengers, equipped with sharp teeth and claws for catching and consuming prey. They occupied the top of the food chain in their ecosystems.

Time Period

Cretaceous Early Mesozoic Era

Compsognathidae lived during the Cretaceous Early period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 145,0 to 100,5 million years ago.

The Cretaceous saw continued dinosaur evolution with the rise of ornithopods and early ceratopsians. Flowering plants first appeared and began to transform terrestrial ecosystems. Spinosaurus and other large theropods lived during this time.