Camposaurus facts for kids
Not to be confused with Camptosaurus.
Quick facts for kids CamposaurusTemporal range: Upper Triassic
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Coelophysoidea
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Coelophysidae
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Camposaurus
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| Camposaurus arizonensis Hunt et al., 1998
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Camposaurus was a type of dinosaur that lived in North America. It roamed the Earth during the Late Triassic period. This was about 205 to 210 million years ago. Camposaurus was a close relative of another dinosaur called Coelophysis. Scientists found this out by studying their family tree.
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What was Camposaurus?
Camposaurus was one of the earliest known theropod dinosaurs. Theropods were mostly meat-eating dinosaurs. This dinosaur is special because its fossils are very old. They date back to 205–210 million years ago. This makes it the oldest known "neotheropod". Neotheropods are a group of more advanced theropod dinosaurs.
How do we know about Camposaurus?
Scientists have found only parts of Camposaurus fossils. These include pieces of its lower leg bones. Other small bone fragments have also been discovered.
A study of Camposaurus arizonensis was done by Ezcurra and Brusatte. They found two unique features in its bones. These special features showed that Camposaurus was a real and unique type of dinosaur. It was definitely a neotheropod.
Based on how its bones look, Camposaurus' closest known relative is Megapnosaurus rhodensis. They share similar features in their tibia (shin bone) and ankle bones. In 2007, a group of scientists led by Spielman placed Camposaurus in the family Coelophysidae. This family includes dinosaurs like Coelophysis.
Images for kids
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This picture shows what Camposaurus might have looked like, based on its relative Coelophysis.
