Coelophysis: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos

Illustration of the dinosaur Coelophysis, showing a slender, long-tailed predator with birdlike hollow limbs, standing beside a modern bird for size comparison. Measurement bars indicate Coelophysis could reach about 9 feet in length. Text notes it lived in large herds during the Late Triassic in North America.

See All Images →

Topics

Podokesaurus

Key People

default image

Edwin H. Colbert

American professor, curator, and paleontologist

Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)

Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

The bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is seen in Switzerland on December 2024

Animal Factoids

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

Animal Group Names

Lion (panthera leo)

Deadliest Animals Quiz

Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)

Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz