Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Coelophysis
Do you think all dinosaurs were huge? Coelophysis (SEE-low-FYE-siss) was a small dinosaur; it weighed about the same as a turkey. Coelophysis lived from about 225 million to 208 million years ago during the Triassic period. It was one of the earliest dinosaurs. Fossils of this dinosaur have been found in the southwestern United States.
Its name came from the Greek words that mean "hollow form." Coelophysis had hollow, lightweight bones, much like the bones of today's birds. Its body from head to tail was about ten feet long. Half of this length was the tail. It stood about four feet tall. It also had a long neck, a long, narrow head, and a mouthful of sharp teeth. Coelophysis had a small head but a large brain. It may have been one of the smartest dinosaurs of its time.
