One of the very first dinosaurs we know well — a whippet-thin sprinter from the dawn of the age of dinosaurs. At Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, hundreds of skeletons were found buried together, an entire flock caught by a flash flood 210 million years ago.
Length3 m
Height1 m
Weight25 kg
Top speed50 km/h
Field notes
- Hundreds of skeletons were found in a single quarry at Ghost Ranch.
- A Coelophysis skull flew to space aboard Shuttle Endeavour in 1998.
- Its bones were hollow like a bird's — the family name means "hollow form".