The Procompsognathus (Pro-Compy) and the Compsognathus (Compy) were close in size and strength. Who would win comes down to the individual dino’s health and stamina. The Compy did have an advantage due to being faster and more evolved, but even that advantage wasn’t enough to make it the clear winner.
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Battle Facts about Procompsognathus vs. compsognathus
| Name | Procompsognathus (Procompsognathus triassicus) | Compsognathus (Compsognathus longipes) |
| Size | 3.3 feet long, around 10 inches | 2-4.5 feet long, 7.9-11 inches tall |
| Speed | 30 mph | 40 mph |
| Offense | Well-developed hands for gripping | Fast runner, small but strong |
| Defense | Could run as fast as a bear | Ran as fast as an ostrich |
| Endurance and Behavior | Agile and quick | Agile and quick |
A Procompsognathus and a Compsognathus were similar in size and weight. Being from the Late Triassic period, the Procompsognathus was a more primitive dino.
Late Jurassic period Compsognathus was also over 10 mph faster than the Procompsognathus. This gave the Compsognathus a slight upper hand in battle!
What was the difference between Procompsognathus and Compsognathus?
Procompsognathus and Compsognathus are two very different types of Theropod dinosaurs. These two tiny dinos also look so similar that they got the same root name, “Compsognathus.”
Compsognathus means “elegant jaw,” and Procompsognathus means “before elegant jaw.” Even though we now know these two are unrelated, paleontology kept their names.
Pro-Compy was from the Coelophysoid family of the Jurassic and Triassic period. These dinos had thin jaws and sharp teeth. A Coelophysis, a Camposaurus, and a Segisaurus were all Coelophysoid dinos like the Pro-Compy.
Compys were Compsognathid dinos that lived in the Late Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Compsognathid dinos have some of the most primitive feathers known to paleontology. A Juravenator, a Sinosauropteryx, and a Sciurumimus were all Compsognathid dinosaurs.
What did Procompsognathus and Compsognathus have in Common?
The Procompsognathus and the Compsognathus had a lot of similarities. These small dinosaurs were bipedal carnivores with short forelimbs. They ate small animals, lizards, and insects.
The Pro-Compy and the Compys also ate dino waste and dead dinos. Whether it was herbivore or carnivore, if they could get it in their mouth, they ate it. They were both good hunters and scavengers who played a valuable role in their ecosystems.
Procompsognathus vs Compsognathus: Who was Bigger?
By many estimates, the Compsognathus was slightly larger than the Procompsognathus. Estimates are based on the femur length, but not everyone agrees. The size difference isn’t much, an inch or two in height and a few inches in length.
Still, there isn’t much fossil evidence for the Compsognathus. Experts believe the smaller Compy fossil was a juvenile dino, and there isn’t much information about the larger fossil’s age. This makes it harder to say how big the Compy would be when fully grown.
Both these dinos were tiny. The Compy used to be considered the smallest dino ever. Later, smaller dinos like a Microraptor were discovered. But the Compsognathus and the Procompsognathus were still some of the smallest of the Dinosauria clade.
Was the Compsognathus Venomous?
No fossil evidence shows any dinosaur had venomous saliva or bite. This belief that Compys were venomous came from the Jurassic Park movies. While it’s possible that we might find a venomous dino at some point, there are no dinos proven to be venomous.
The Jurassic Park movies were based on The Lost World: Jurassic Park series written by Michael Crichton. In these books, a Dilophosaurus was another dino portrayed as venomous. While this made for a fun and scary scene, the Dilophosaurus was also not venomous.
Who would win in a fight between the Procompsognathus and Compsognathus?
Being almost the same size and type of dino, a fight between the Compsognathus and the Procompsognathus would be pretty equal. Both dinos had a chance of winning. The Compsognathus was faster, so if they chased each other, the Compsognathus would win every time.
Even though both of these small dinos were carnivores, they ate mostly small animals, lizards, and insects. When those weren’t available, groups of small carnivorous dinosaurs would feed on larger dinosaur carcasses. They probably fought for the best part of the dead dino, but not to the death.
Being more likely to eat small animals doesn’t mean that both Compy and Pro-Compy wouldn’t fight to the death. Paleontologists believe many carnivores were also cannibals, eating weaker or sick animals of their kind. The winner between the Procompsognathus vs. Compsognathus comes down to health and size.