Family
Valid Extinct

Coelophysidae

Paul 1988

Coelophysoidea is an extinct clade of theropod dinosaurs common during the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic periods. They were widespread geographically, probably living on all continents. Coelophysoids were all slender, carnivorous forms with a superficial similarity to the coelurosaurs, with which they were formerly classified, and some species had delicate cranial crests. Sizes range from about 1 to 6 m in length. It is unknown what kind of external covering coelophysoids had, and various artists have portrayed them as either scaly or feathered. Some species may have lived in packs, as inferred from sites where numerous individuals have been found together.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
46
Group
Dinosaures
Carnivore Ground dwelling, solitary Terrestrial
Coelophysidae
click to enlarge
Coelophysis bauri (Cope, 1887) theropod dinosaur from the Triassic of New Mexico, USA. This is a remarkable complete skeleton of the small early theropod Coelophysis. It comes from a nearly monospecific concentration of numerous complete to disarticulated skeletons in reddish-colored fluvial siltstones, often called a "Coelophysis graveyard". This occurrence has been interpreted as a carcass-jammed channel filling following mass mortality of dinosaurs by regional drought (see Schwartz & Gillette, 1994). Stratigraphy: Rock Point Member, Chinle Formation, Upper Triassic Locality: Whitaker Quarry (Coelophysis Quarry), Ghost Ranch, Rio Arriba County, northern New Mexico, USA Some info. from: Hunt, A.P. & S.G. Lucas. 1991. Rioarribasaurus, a new name for a Late Triassic dinosaur from New Mexico (USA). Paläontologische Zeitschrift 65: 191-198. Schwartz, H.L. & D.D. Gillette. 1994. Geology and taphonomy of the Coelophysis Quarry, Upper Triassic Chinle Formation, Ghost Ranch, New Mexico. Journal of Paleontology 68: 1118-1130. Theropod were small to large, bipedal dinosaurs. Almost all known members of the group were carnivorous (predators and/or scavengers). They represent the ancestral group to the birds, and some theropods are known to have had feathers. Some of the most well known dinosaurs to the general public are theropods, such as Tyrannosaurus, Allosaurus, and Spinosaurus. © James St. John · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
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Theropoda Unranked clade
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Neotheropoda Unranked clade
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Coelophysoidea Superfamily
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Coelophysidae Family
Fossil sites 46 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇺🇸 United States
34
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
5
🇦🇷 Argentina
2
🇿🇦 South Africa
2
🇨🇳 China
2
🇩🇪 Germany
1
Geological formations
Chinle
14
Petrified Forest
8
Forest Sandstone
4
Tecovas
2
Elliot
2
Lufeng
2
Navajo Sandstone
2
Nyamandhlovu Sandstones
1
Dockum
1
Rock Point
1
Temporal distribution
Toarcian (184.2–174.7 Ma)
1
Pliensbachian (192.9–184.2 Ma)
1
Sinemurian (199.5–192.9 Ma)
8
Hettangian (201.4–199.5 Ma)
3
Rhaetian (205.7–201.4 Ma)
1
Norian (227.3–205.7 Ma)
32
Images 5
Bibliography
Original description
G. S. Paul. 1988. Predatory Dinosaurs of the World. Simon & Schuster, New York
Bibliography (35)
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