Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 12, 2026

Compsosaurus

Compsosaurus is an extinct genus of phytosaur, a crocodile-like reptile that lived during the Triassic. Its fossils have been found in North Carolina. The type species, Compsosaurus priscus, was named by American paleontologist Joseph Leidy in 1856, although other sources say 1857. Compsosaurus may have been the same animal as the related Belodon.

Last revised
Jul 12, 2026
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≈ 1 min
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Citations
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Wikipedia ↗
Compsosaurus
Temporal range: Late Triassic,
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: †Phytosauria
Family: †Parasuchidae
Genus: †Compsosaurus
Leidy, 1856
Type species
†Compsosaurus priscus
Leidy, 1856
Synonyms

Compsosaurus (meaning "elegant lizard"1) is an extinct genus of phytosaur, a crocodile-like reptile that lived during the Triassic. Its fossils have been found in North Carolina. The type species, Compsosaurus priscus, was named by American paleontologist Joseph Leidy in 1856,2 although other sources say 1857.345 Compsosaurus may have been the same animal as the related Belodon.

Only four teeth are known, discovered in the Carnian-Rhaetian-aged coal fields of Chatham County, North Carolina (probably Red Sandstone Formation) and the New Oxford Formation of Pennsylvania.6

References

References

  1. Phytosauria Translation and Pronunciation Guide from Dinosauria.com
  2. Leidy. J. (1856). Notice of some remains of extinct vertebrated animals. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 163-165
  3. Compsosaurus at GBIF.org
  4. Rees, T. (compiler) (2020). The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera. Available from http://www.irmng.org at VLIZ. Accessed 2020-03-24
  5. GBIF Secretariat (2019). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2020-07-15.
  6. Compsosaurus at Paleofile.org