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51 / Mesozoic
Coelophysis
Coelophysis bauri
A slender, hollow-boned hunter was among the early successful dinosaurs.
Structured expansion · editorial review pending
- Time range
- About 216–203 million years ago
- Final stage
- Late Triassic
- Geographic range
- Southwestern North America
01 / ANSWER FIRST
What was Coelophysis?
This archive records Coelophysis under the scientific name Coelophysis bauri, with an age of About 216–203 million years ago and a range of Southwestern North America. A slender, hollow-boned hunter was among the early successful dinosaurs.
Coelophysis used long hind limbs and a flexible neck to chase small prey. Dense bonebeds record many ages, though they may reflect flood accumulation rather than herds.
02 / QUICK FACTS
Coelophysis at a glance
- Scientific name
- Coelophysis bauri
- Age
- About 216–203 million years ago
- Last recorded stage
- Late Triassic
- Known range
- Southwestern North America
- Broad group
- dinosaur
- Archive era
- Mesozoic
- Habitat signals
- vegetation, prey communities, floodplains and regional climate
- Documented regions
- North America
03 / ANATOMY
How was Coelophysis built?
Overall body plan
A slender, hollow-boned hunter was among the early successful dinosaurs.
Skull, teeth and display structures
The available record is interpreted through preserved proportions, attachment surfaces, wear and comparison with related organisms. For Coelophysis, those observations must be separated from features added only for visual reconstruction.
Limbs, balance and locomotion
Coelophysis used long hind limbs and a flexible neck to chase small prey. Dense bonebeds record many ages, though they may reflect flood accumulation rather than herds.
Growth and individual variation
A single specimen does not define the whole species. Size, maturity, preservation and possible sex differences are considered before anatomical traits are treated as typical of Coelophysis.
04 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
How did Coelophysis live?
Coelophysis used long hind limbs and a flexible neck to chase small prey. Dense bonebeds record many ages, though they may reflect flood accumulation rather than herds. This ecological reconstruction is strongest where anatomy, associated organisms and the depositional setting point in the same direction.
05 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
What shaped its ecological limits?
Its populations depended on vegetation, prey communities, floodplains and regional climate. Changes in any one factor did not necessarily cause immediate extinction, but interacting pressures could reduce range, recruitment and resilience.
06 / RANGE & HABITAT
Where and when did Coelophysis live?
This archive currently lists About 216–203 million years ago; Southwestern North America. Fossil or historical occurrence data describe where evidence has been found, not every place the taxon once occupied. Species-level age and range limits still require source-specific review.
Documented geographic range
Southwestern North America. This boundary can change when specimens are reidentified or new localities are published.
Time window
About 216–203 million years ago, with the final recorded stage listed as Late Triassic. Rock units and dating uncertainty mean the true biological range may extend beyond the known record.
Environmental setting
The archive uses the broad habitat labels vegetation, prey communities, floodplains and regional climate. These labels help explore related records; a habitat reconstruction requires evidence from individual localities.
07 / FOSSIL EVIDENCE
What evidence supports reconstructions of Coelophysis?
Primary record
Hundreds of skeletons, growth stages and stomach contents reveal its life.
Comparative anatomy
Preserved structures are compared with close and functionally similar organisms. The method can constrain posture and function, but analogy alone cannot prove colour, behaviour or soft tissue.
Age and locality
Stratigraphy and occurrence records place Coelophysis within About 216–203 million years ago and Southwestern North America. Reworked fossils and uncertain provenance are treated cautiously.
Open entity records
Links below connect the archive to available taxonomic and occurrence records. A matching name does not verify every ecological claim, and related-taxon links provide comparison rather than an exact species match.
08 / DISAPPEARANCE & DEBATE
Why did Coelophysis disappear?
End-Triassic environmental disruption removed its world while other dinosaurs diversified.
The last fossil or observation marks the youngest evidence currently known, not necessarily the death of the final individual. Explanations are strongest when timing, environmental change and population biology agree; otherwise the profile preserves uncertainty instead of assigning a single dramatic cause.
09 / FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Coelophysis FAQ
What was Coelophysis?
This archive records Coelophysis under the scientific name Coelophysis bauri, with an age of About 216–203 million years ago. A slender, hollow-boned hunter was among the early successful dinosaurs.
When did Coelophysis live?
The current archive range is About 216–203 million years ago; its youngest recorded stage is Late Triassic.
Where was Coelophysis found?
The archive currently lists Southwestern North America. Species-level locality assignments and the full geographic range still require source-specific review.
How do scientists know about Coelophysis?
Hundreds of skeletons, growth stages and stomach contents reveal its life.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Completed an AI-assisted bilingual audit of the archive record, corrected identified issues and clarified evidence limits; independent editorial review is pending.
- Expanded into a structured bilingual profile with anatomy, ecology, range, evidence, debate and FAQs; independent editorial review is pending.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS