Coelurus

hollow tail

• koilos · Greek · hollow
• oura · Greek · tail

The name combines the Greek words for "hollow" and "tail". Othniel Charles Marsh chose it because the tail vertebrae of the type specimen were hollow and lightly built, with large air-filled cavities. The name later gave its name to the larger group Coelurosauria.

Named by

Marsh

Year named

1879

Period

Late Jurassic

Stages

Kimmeridgian – Tithonian

Found in

Morrison Formation, Wyoming, USA

A small theropod. The type species is Coelurus fragilis. Its exact position within Coelurosauria is debated. Some of the stage details are approximate.