Middle School
Worksheets
Coelophysis, a Bird-like Dinosaur
Unlike the picture that probably pops into your mind when you think of the word "dinosaur," Coelophysis (SEE-low-FY-siss) wasn't a gigantic animal. This little dinosaur had a body that weighed about as much as a turkey. Its body from head to tail was about ten feet long, but about half of this length was its tail. It also had a long neck, a long, narrow head, and a mouthful of sharp, curved teeth.
Coelophysis is classified in the group Theropoda. Members of this group, known as theropods, were one of the three main groups of dinosaurs. Theropods walked on two hind legs most of the time and were the only carnivorous dinosaurs. It is thought that modern birds descended from theropods.
