Camposaurus facts for kids

Not to be confused with Camptosaurus.

Quick facts for kids Camposaurus Temporal range: Upper Triassic
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Superorder:	Dinosauria
Order:	Saurischia
Suborder:	Theropoda
Superfamily:	Coelophysoidea
Family:	Coelophysidae
Genus:	Camposaurus
Binomial name
*Camposaurus arizonensis* Hunt et al., 1998

Camposaurus is a dinosaur from the Late Triassic of North America. It is a relative of Coelophysis. This relationship was upheld by a recent phylogenetic anlysis.

With fossils dating back to 205–210 million years ago (mya), it is the oldest known neotheropod. It is known from partial lower leg bones and other fragmentary material.

A study of Camposaurus arizoniensis by Ezcurra and Brusatte discovered two unique features. This meant the specimen was a valid genus and species. Camposaurus is definitely a neotheropod. Based on phylogenetic analysis, its closest known relative is Megapnosaurus rhodensis, because they share similarities in the tibia, and ankle. Spielman et al. (2007) put Camposaurus in the family Coelophysidae.

Images for kids

Reconstruction based on Coelophysis

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Camposaurus Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.