Coelophysis
| Coelophysis Temporal range: Late Triassic (middle Norian to Rhaetian),
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| Mounted skeleton at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Coelophysidae |
| Genus: | † Cope, 1889[1] |
| Type species | |
| †Coelophysis bauri (Cope, 1887a)[2]
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| Synonyms | |
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Synonyms of C. bauri Dubious species designations
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Coelophysis (/sɛˈlɒfɪsɪs/ se-LOF-iss-iss traditionally; /ˌsɛloʊˈfaɪsɪs/ SEL-oh-FY-siss or /ˌsiːloʊˈfaɪsɪs/ SEE-loh-FY-siss, as heard more commonly in recent decades[7]) is an extinct genus of coelophysid theropod dinosaurs that lived approximately 215 to 201.4 million years ago during the late Triassic period from the middle Norian to Rhaetian age in what is now the southwestern United States. Megapnosaurus was once considered to be a species within this genus, but this interpretation has been challenged and the genus Megapnosaurus is now considered valid.
Coelophysis was a small, slenderly built, ground-dwelling, bipedal carnivore that could grow up to 3 m (9.8 ft) long. It is one of the earliest known dinosaur genera. Scattered material representing similar animals has been found worldwide in some Late Triassic and Early Jurassic formations.
The type species C. bauri, originally given to the genus Coelurus by Edward Drinker Cope in 1887, was described by the latter in 1889. The names Longosaurus and Rioarribasaurus are synonymous with Coelophysis. Coelophysis is one of the most specimen-rich dinosaur genera.
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paul1993was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "RE: Afrovenator pronunciation". dml.cmnh.org. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2019.