(pronounced pro-komp-SOG-na-thus) Procompsognathus triassicus (meaning "before pretty jaw from the Triassic period") was a small, speedy theropod dinosaur. This meat-eater lived during the late Triassic period, about 222 to 219 million years ago. It probably ate insects and lizards in a relatively dry, inland environment. Procompsognathus was named by Eberhard Fraas in 1913. The type species is P. triassicus.
Anatomy: Procompsognathus may have been about 3.8 feet (1.2 m) long, weighing roughly 2.2 pounds (1 kg). A biped, it had long hind legs, short arms, large clawed hands (which it used to catch prey), a long pointed snout with many pointed teeth, and a stiff, pointed tail.
Fossils: A very incomplete Procompsognathus skeleton was found in Württemberg, Germany.
