Scipionyx

Scipio's claw

• Scipio · Latin · Scipio, after the Roman general Scipio Africanus (Publius Cornelius Scipio)
• onyx · Greek · claw

The name combines "Scipio" with the Greek "onyx" (claw). It honours the Roman general Scipio Africanus, and also refers to the Roman-era Italian region where the fossil was found. The only known specimen is a very well-preserved juvenile with fossilised soft tissue, including parts of the intestines and other organs.

Named by

Dal Sasso and Signore

Year named

1998

Period

Early Cretaceous

Stage

Albian

Found in

Pietraroia Plattenkalk, near Benevento, Campania, southern Italy

A small coelurosaurian theropod, usually considered a compsognathid. The single specimen, nicknamed "Ciro", is a juvenile with exceptional soft-tissue preservation.