Coelophysis Characteristics

Coelophysis is one of the earliest well known dinosaurs. Coelophysis was a lightly built dinosaur, between 2 - 3 metres in length and less than 1 metre tall at the hips. It weighed around 35 kilograms (77 pounds). Coelophysis was a lightly built dinosaur that walked on 2 long legs. Coelophysis was a very fast, bipedal runner. Dinosaur speeds are estimated using their morphology (characteristics like leg length and estimated body mass) and fossilized trackways. Coelophysis tracks have been found, the footprint is 4 inches long and the stride length is 2.5 feet (0.75 metres). This dinosaurs head was long with a pointed snout with large fenestrae (small pores in epithelial cells) which helped to reduce skull weight. Coelophysis had large eyes and very good eyesight. They had many small, sharp, serrated teeth which indicates it was a meat eater. Coelphysis had a long neck which had a pronounced sigmoid curve and 3 clawed functional fingers on its hands. A fourth digit was embedded in the flesh of its hand. Coelophysis had 3 toed feet with sharp claws. Its tail was long, and had an unusual structure within its interlocking prezygapophysis of its vertebrae, which formed a semi-rigid lattice, apparently to stop the tail from moving up and down. This may have let the tail act as a rudder or counterweight when the animal was maneuvering at high speeds.

The torso of Coelophysis conforms to the basic theropod body shape, but the pectoral girdle displays some interesting special characteristics wishbone, the earliest known example in a dinosaur.