Coelurus is a poorly known genus.
From most of the skeleton of a single individual, the appearance of Coelurus can be reconstructed quite well. Numerous vertebrae, partial pelvic and shoulder girdles, and most of the arms and legs are present.
| Profile | Coelurus |
|---|---|
| Prehistoric Era | Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) 155-152 million years ago |
| Order | Saurischia |
| Suborder | Theropoda |
| Family | Coelurosauria |
| Tribe | Coeluridae |
| Genus | Coelurus |
| Species | Coelurus fragilis |
| Height | 0.7 meter |
| Length | 2 meter |
| Weight | 20 kilogram |
| Territory | Germany North America (Morrison Formation) |
So far only one species is recognized as valid: the type species, C. fragilis. It was described by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1879, who was impressed by the hollow inner sides of the thin-walled vertebrae, and gave it the name : Coelurus fragilis .
Coelurus means as much as "hollow tail".
Coelurus fragilis means "delicate hollow tail".
Coelurus had a relatively long neck and trunk. He had very long vertebral bodies, which is used to reconstruct his body structure.
He possessed a long metatarsal, which leads to the assumption that his hind leg was also long and slender. The thigh bone (femur) was 55 cm long. Possibly he had a small, slender skull. Unfortunately, however, no skull has been found so far.
Its weight was estimated at about 13 to 20 kilograms, with a length of about 2.4 meters and a waist height of 0.7 meters.
Coelurus fragilis was equivalent in size to an average adult human.
It was a small terrestrial predator that fed on small prey such as insects, mammals and lizards. It is believed that it was a fast animal.
Image source: Nobu Tamura (http://spinops.blogspot.com), CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Jaime A. Headden (User:Qilong), CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
FanCollector; original artwork by User:ArthurWeasley, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
