Compsognathus ("pretty jaw") are tiny dinosaurs that appear in Fantasia. They are small gray dinosaurs, somewhat akin to the Velociraptor species, as they share many similar physical traits with them. They have very diminutive sizes, long tails, elongated heads, and small mouths.
Background
Real life
Compsognathus lived about 150 million years ago during the late Jurassic Period in what is now Europe. Members of its single species Compsognathus longipes could grow to around the size of a chicken. Paleontologists have found two well-preserved fossils: one in Germany in the 1850s and the second in France more than a century later. Many presentations still describe Compsognathus as "chicken-sized" dinosaurs because of the size of the German specimen, which is now believed to be a juvenile.
Compsognathus longipes is one of the few dinosaur species whose diet is known with certainty; the remains of small, agile lizards are preserved in the bellies of both specimens. Teeth discovered in Portugal may be further fossil remains of the genus. Today, C. longipes is the only recognized species, although the larger specimen discovered in France in the 1970s was once thought to belong to a separate species and named C. corallestris. Until the 1990s, Compsognathus was the smallest known non-avian dinosaur, with the preceding centuries incorrectly labelling them as the closest relative of Archaeopteryx.
Appearances
Fantasia
The Compsognathus appear briefly in The Rite of Spring segment during the "extinction" scene as one of the many species crossing the desert, before the impending extinction of the dinosaurs.
Disney Parks
Several Composognathus appeared in the DINOSAUR attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom. They are the last dinosaur species introduced on the ride. After the Time Rover ducks down to avoid hitting a swooping Cearadactylus, the Composognathus were seen leaping past the vehicle and its passengers before it lost traction and ran into the Carnotaurus again. Originally, the Composognathus were suspended on a chain that shows them physically flying over the guests. After the refurbishment promoting the release of Dinosaur, the dinosaurs remained in place and were illuminated on to show them leaping. Recent refurbishment in 2016 replaced them completely with animated screens showing them jumping from ledge to ledge, before scurrying off into the night.
Gallery
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