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Prehistoric Life

How long was Compsognathus longipes?

An adult Compsognathus longipes had a total length of about 1.25 m (4 ft 1 in).

What is measured: adult, total body length

Compsognathus longipes (1.25 m) drawn to scale beside a bowling pin (38.1 cm) and an adult person (1.7 m)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Bowling pin (38.1 cm), Compsognathus longipes (1.25 m) and Adult person (1.7 m).

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How big is that, really?

  • About 74% of the height of an adult person
  • About 4 would fit end to end along a 20-foot shipping container
  • About 63% of the height of a doorway
  • About 9 would fit end to end along a city bus
  • About 3.3× the height of a bowling pin

Learn

Facts about Compsognathus longipes

Compsognathus was a small, lightly built theropod known from Jurassic fossils in Europe.

Source: Natural History Museum, London — Compsognathus; Encyclopaedia Britannica — Compsognathus

Prehistoric Life

NameSizeCompared with Compsognathus longipes
Australopithecus afarensis1.1 m (3 ft 7 in)0.88×
Smilodon1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)0.96×
Sinosauropteryx prima1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)0.96×
Heterodontosaurus tucki1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)0.96×
Smilodon fatalis1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)0.96×
Thylacosmilus atrox1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)0.96×
Compsognathus longipes1.25 m (4 ft 1 in)this page
Cave bear1.3 m (4 ft 3 in)1×
Paranthropus boisei1.4 m (4 ft 7 in)1.1×
Dimorphodon macronyx1.45 m (4 ft 9 in)1.2×

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