Compsognathus

* Evolution 2
* Database
* Evolution

* Evolution 2
* Evolution

***Compsognathus***, often referred to as ***Compy***, is a genus of compsognathid dinosaur in the *Jurassic World Evolution* series, originating from Late Jurassic Europe.

In *Evolution*, the *Compsognathus* was released with the *Return to Jurassic Park* expansion pack, and are unlocked on 1993 Isla Nublar and can then be excavated from the Canjuers and the Solnhofen Formation dig sites. Upon completion of the *Return to Jurassic Park* story missions, *Compsognathus* becomes available in the main campaign by progressing through the Science Division on Isla Muerta.

## History

*Compsognathus* were recreated by InGen on Isla Sorna prior to the 1993 incident. Following the incident, Sorna's wild Compy population lived undisturbed until 1997, when a family which happened upon the island encountered a group of them, injuring a young girl. During the 1997 Isla Sorna incident, *Compsognathus* were encountered on numerous occasions by the InGen hunting party, resulting in at least one fatality. *Compsognathus* were also briefly encountered during the 2001 Isla Sorna incident.

Years later, *Compsognathus* were exhibited at Jurassic World on Isla Nublar where, like all other dinosaurs, they became wild again following the 2015 Jurassic World incident. In 2018, with the eruption of Mt. Sibo imminent, many Compies were rescued from Nublar and taken to the Lockwood Manor in California, where they and other dinosaurs later escaped into the wild.

A year after the events at Lockwood Manor, three Compies were recorded chasing a little girl in a rural area.

Four years after the events at Lockwood Manor, several Compies were captured by animal traffickers working for the illegal Amber Clave Market in Valletta, Malta, before Owen Grady and Claire Dearing had the market exposed.

## Characteristics

The smallest carnivorous dinosaur InGen has ever created, *Compsognathus* is also one of the smallest dinosaurs ever to have existed, at under a meter in length and weighing between 0.83 and 3.5kg – roughly the size of a chicken. Despite its small stature, *Compsognathus* is a carnivore that would have relied on its quick reactions, high speed, agility and maneuverability in order to hunt down and catch its prey, which - unlike other dinosaurs - is well known due to fossil evidence of small lizards found in the stomachs of both known specimens. *Compsognathus'* name translates to "*Dainty Jaw*", a reference to its long, narrow snout. The Greek word "*kompsos*" means "*elegant*" or "*dainty*", and "*gnathos*", meaning "*jaw*". These dinosaurs lived in the Late Jurassic in what is now Europe. It is known for its lime green body, warm yellow to orange underbelly with darker stripes covering its entire back and legs.

## Gameplay

### *Evolution*

#### Behaviour

Due to its small size, *Compsognathus* hop onto the platform of a Carnivore Feeder to eat. Unlike the majority of other carnivores, it is harmless against herbivores and it will not hunt goats. Because of this, it makes a great companion to herbivorous dinosaurs. It can, however, kill visitors with trampling. Like some small herbivores such as *Homalocephale*, it is completely defenseless and will even be eaten by larger small carnivores such as *Velociraptor*. Medium-sized and large carnivores such as *Metriacanthosaurus* and *Tyrannosaurus* will ignore *-* except for *Herrerasaurus*, these will hunt and kill - *Compsognathus*, but the *Compsognathus* will flee from them.

*Compsognathus* is the only dinosaur species in the game that cannot attack fences when its comfort is below the treshold. Instead, it jumps three times on the spot while chirping in front of a fence section before moving to another one. Despite not being able to engage in combat with any other species, *Compsognathus* can fight among themselves if their comfort levels are too low.

#### *Evolution 2*

The behaviour of *Compsognathus* in *Evolution 2* has slightly changed. They can attack and kill both goats and visitors as a pack.

#### Skins

 NULL

 JUNGLE

 RAINFOREST

 TUNDRA

 VIVID

 WOODLAND

## Paleontology

The first small dinosaur ever found, two *Compsognathus* specimens have been discovered in Europe. The first discovery, an almost complete skeleton, found in Germany around 1859 by fossil collector Joseph Oberndorfer, and formed part of a collection of bones he excavated in Bavaria, Germany. It was the only known *Compsognathus* specimen until over a century later with a second, larger specimen being found in Nice, France in 1971 - this specimen revealed that the German skeleton was likely that of a juvenile. The dinosaur was given the name *Compsognathus longipes* and described as a very small carnivore.

This lithe turkey-sized predator is the namesake of the Compsognathidae family, a group of small, primitive coelurosaurs that lived in Europe, Asia and perhaps South America from the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. In 1863, *Compsognathus* was the first dinosaur ever linked to birds, due to its resemblance to then newly discovered *Archaeopteryx*. Yet said proposal fell into obscurity for over a century, until John Ostrom, in the wake of the discovery of *Deinonychus*, redescribed the animal based on the French specimen.

Close relative *Sinosauropteryx* was the first dinosaur found with preserved feathers, so it is very likely *Compsognathus* had them as well. However, those feathers would be hair-like, and the covering wouldn't be as extensive as in birds, with its hindlimbs and underbelly likely having scaly skin.

### Paleoecology

*Compsognathus* existed during the Late Jurassic period around 150 million years ago and roamed the lagoons and beaches of Central Europe, which was comprised of many smaller islands at the time. Despite its small stature, *Compsognathus* seems to have been the top land predator during its time. Turkey-sized when fully grown, the only other known dinosaur from the same time and place is crow-sized "first bird" *Archaeopteryx*, with well-known pterosaurs *Rhamphorhynchus* and *Pterodactylus* being common sights. It lived alongside numerous other dinosaurs and lizards – in fact, examination of the Bavarian skeleton’s stomach found the remains of a *Bavarisaurus*, a small lizard. The habitat these animals lived at was a tropical archipelago that bordered the prehistoric Tethys Sea.

The area *Compsognathus* specimens have been found in would have at the time been a tropical, coastal environment. This is supported by fossil evidence of other aquatic animals like crustaceans. *Compsognathus* mainly preyed upon land-dwelling vertebrates. In addition, *Compsognathus* is one of the few dinosaur species whose diet is well documented, as both specimens were found with small lizards preserved within their ribcages.

## Behind the scenes

The *Compsognathus* was created using the 3D model that was created for 2018's *Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom* by Industrial Light & Magic, as well as audio files provided by Universal Pictures to create the most authentic representation of the dinosaur.

## Gallery

VideosSpecies Profile - Compsognathus
Images
## References

1. ↑ Spielberg, Steven. (Director). (1997). *The Lost World: Jurassic Park* [Film]. Universal Pictures.
2. ↑ Johnston, Joe. (Director). (2001). *Jurassic Park III* [Film]. Universal Pictures.
3. ↑ Lueras, L., Kreamer, S., Spielberg, S., Trevorrow, C., Marshall, F. (Executive Producers). (2020–present). *Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous* [TV series]. Universal Pictures; DreamWorks Animation Television.
4. ↑ Bayona, J. A. (Director). (2018). *Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom* [Film]. Universal Pictures.
5. ↑ Trevorrow, Colin. (Director). (2019). *Battle at Big Rock* [Short film]. Universal Pictures.
6. ↑ Trevorrow, Colin. (Director). (2022). *Jurassic World Dominion* [Film]. Universal Pictures.
7. ↑ *Compsognathus*. (n.d.). DinoPit.com. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
8. ↑ Krupa, Daniel (May 16, 2018). HOW JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION MADE ITS T.REX - IGN FIRST *IGN*. Retrieved June 14, 2018