Coelophysis
Hollow form · SEE-lo-FY-sis
- Size
- About 3m long; 20 to 25kg
- Lived
- About 215 to 200 million years ago
- Found in
- New Mexico and Arizona, USA
A slim, lightly built hunter with a long neck, a long narrow snout and a very long tail.
The coelophysis that follows you
This page is a hot, dry plain about 220 million years ago, when the first dinosaurs appeared. Move your pointer and your dinosaur will follow you. Choose a different one at the bottom, and tap the notes to open them.
01 · NameHollow bones
Its name means hollow form, after its light, hollow bones. They made it fast.
02 · HerdFound by the hundred
At Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, hundreds of skeletons were found together, perhaps caught by a flash flood.
03 · EyesSharp eyes
It had large eyes that faced partly forwards, good for judging distance.
04 · SpaceIt has been into space
A Coelophysis skull was carried aboard a space shuttle in 1998.
05 · ForkA wishbone
It had a wishbone, like a bird. It is one of the earliest dinosaurs known to have one.
06 · SpeedBuilt to run
Long legs and a light body made it one of the fastest animals of its time.
Meet them all
Six early dinosaurs
Eoraptor
Dawn thief · EE-oh-RAP-tor
- Size
- About 1m long; 10kg
- Lived
- About 231 to 228 million years ago
- Found in
- Argentina
A small, light dinosaur about the size of a fox, with long hind legs and grasping hands.
Herrerasaurus
Herrera's lizard · heh-RARE-ah-SORE-us
- Size
- 3 to 6m long; up to 350kg
- Lived
- About 231 million years ago
- Found in
- Argentina
A sturdy early hunter with a long, narrow head, strong hind legs and clawed hands.
Plateosaurus
Broad lizard · PLAT-ee-oh-SORE-us
- Size
- 5 to 10m long; up to 4 tonnes
- Lived
- About 214 to 204 million years ago
- Found in
- Germany, Switzerland and France
A big plant-eater with a long neck, a small head, a heavy body and strong hind legs.
Thecodontosaurus
Socket-tooth lizard · THEE-co-DON-toe-SORE-us
- Size
- About 2m long; 30kg
- Lived
- About 205 million years ago
- Found in
- Bristol, England, and South Wales
A small, slim plant-eater with a longish neck, a small head and a long tail.
Liliensternus
Named after Hugo Rühle von Lilienstern · LIL-ee-en-STER-nus
- Size
- About 5m long; 130kg
- Lived
- About 210 million years ago
- Found in
- Germany
A long, slender hunter with a crested snout, a long neck and a long tail.
Good to know
Six things about the Triassic
252 to 201 million years ago
The Triassic is the first of the three periods of the age of dinosaurs.
One giant continent
All the land was joined together in a single supercontinent called Pangaea. A dinosaur could have walked from pole to pole.
Hot and dry
The middle of Pangaea was a vast desert. There was no ice at the poles.
No flowers, no grass
The plants were ferns, horsetails, cycads and conifers. Flowers and grass had not appeared.
Not yet in charge
Crocodile-like reptiles were the top hunters. Dinosaurs were a small part of the scene.
It ended in disaster
Huge volcanic eruptions at the end of the Triassic killed off many rivals, and the dinosaurs took over.
Photo gallery
Real fossils, skeletons and museum models of the animals on this page. Tap one to see it bigger.
Coelophysis
Eoraptor
Herrerasaurus
Plateosaurus
Thecodontosaurus
Liliensternus
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons and are used under free licences. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews. Open a photo to see who took it.
Small beginnings
The first dinosaurs were small, quick and rare. For millions of years they lived in the shadow of bigger reptiles. Then a mass extinction cleared the way.
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