Kingdom Animalia Class Reptilia Order Saurischia | Phylum Chordata Clade Dinosauria Suborder Theropoda | |
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Compsognathidae is a family of small carnivorous dinosaurs, generally conservative in form, from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. Compsognathids lie at or near the origin of feathers—skin impressions are known from four genera, Compsognathus, Sinosauropteryx, Sinocalliopteryx, and Juravenator. While Juravenator, Sinosauropteryx, and Sinocalliopteryx show evidence of a covering of simple, primitive feathers, Juravenator and Compsognathus also show evidence of scales on the tail or hind legs.
The position of the Compsognathidae within the coelurosaur group is uncertain; some hold the family as the basalmost of the coelurosaurs, while others as part of the Maniraptora.
Systematics
In his 2003 paper discussing basal theropod relationships, Oliver Rauhut considered compsognathids to be part of Coeluridae. However, subsequent cladistics analyses find Coelurus distantly related to members of Compsognathidae.