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Camposaurus

Say it: KAM-po-SORE-us

Name means: “Camp lizard”1

Ate: MeatMeat-eating dinosLate Triassic

Camposaurus was a small, fast meat-eating dinosaur that lived in what is now Arizona, USA. It is one of the oldest known neotheropods, a group that includes many later theropod dinosaurs. It ran on two legs and probably hunted small animals.2

Lived

227 to 206 million years ago4

Late Triassic

Fossils found in

Arizona, USA (Placerias quarry, near St. Johns, Apache County)2

Food

Meat1

Length

3 m3

estimate

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

as long as 3 dogs nose to tailas long as 17 bananas end to end

How big was Camposaurus compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Camposaurus is one of the oldest known neotheropod dinosaurs, living about 227 to 205 million years ago during the Norian stage of the Late Triassic.1 2

Its fossils are very fragmentary, mostly just leg bones (tibia, fibula, and ankle bones) fused together.2

Scientists can tell Camposaurus apart from other dinosaurs by two special features: a sharp ridge on the back of the tibia where the fibula touches it, and a lack of a forward-projecting bump on the inner part of the ankle bone.2

Camposaurus is closely related to Coelophysis rhodesiensis, another small theropod from the Triassic.2

The name Camposaurus means 'Camp lizard', named after the Camp family who owned the land where the fossils were found.1

AI-made picture of Camposaurus — An AI-made picture of how Camposaurus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Camposaurus

?How big was Camposaurus?

Camposaurus was about 3 metres (9.8 feet) long.3

?When did Camposaurus live?

Camposaurus lived about 227 to 205 million years ago during the Norian stage of the Late Triassic.4

?Is Camposaurus a dinosaur?

Yes, it is a small, meat-eating theropod dinosaur.4

?What did Camposaurus eat?

Camposaurus was a carnivore and probably hunted small animals.4

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Myth buster

Myth: Some scientists thought Camposaurus might be a nomen dubium (a doubtful name) because its fossils are so incomplete.

Truth: In 2011, a new study showed that Camposaurus has unique features, so it is now considered a valid, real dinosaur.2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Camposaurus
Named by: Hunt et al. 19984
Group: Meat-eating dinos
Family / clade: Coelophysidae4
Classification: Theropoda > Coelophysoidea4
Age of the rocks: 227 to 206 million years (Norian)4
Rock formations: Chinle4
Countries: USA4
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Camposaurus was named in 1998 by Hunt and colleagues based on fossils found in the Placerias quarry in Arizona. The fossils were discovered in the Mesa Redondo Member of the Chinle Formation.1 2
Still debated: Scientists are still not sure exactly how Camposaurus is related to other early theropods. Some studies place it in Coelophysoidea, but the relationships among these dinosaurs are still debated.2

Where the facts come from

PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Taxonomic and phylogenetic reassessment of the early neotheropod dinosaur Camposaurus arizonensis from the Late Triassic of North America (onlinelibrary.wiley.com)
Camposaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Camposaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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