Procompsognathus

before elegant jaw (before Compsognathus)

• pro · Greek · before
• kompsos · Greek · elegant, refined
• gnathos · Greek · jaw

The name means "before Compsognathus", referring to its older age and the belief that it was an early relative or ancestor of the small Jurassic theropod Compsognathus. Compsognathus itself means "elegant jaw" in Greek. The name was given by Fraas in 1913 to small, slender-bodied fossils from Germany.

Named by

Fraas

Year named

1913

Period

Late Triassic

Found in

Löwenstein Formation, near Pfaffenhofen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

The type material (Procompsognathus triassicus) was largely destroyed in WWII and was a mix of remains, including some from a non-dinosaurian crocodylomorph relative; its exact classification is debated. It was once thought to be an early theropod, but is now often considered a possible early theropod or coelophysoid, or uncertain. It is not closely related to Compsognathus.