Coelurus

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Coelurus
Temporal range: Late Jurassic, 155–152 Ma
Skeletal restoration showing known remains
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Family: Coeluridae
Genus: Coelurus
Marsh, 1879
Species:
C. fragilis
Binomial name
Coelurus fragilis
Marsh, 1879
Synonyms
  • Coelurus agilis Marsh, 1884
  • Elaphrosaurus agilis (Marsh, 1884) Russell, Beland & McIntosh, 1980

Coelurus (meaning "hollow") is a poorly known genus. It was perhaps a bipedal theropod dinosaur 6 feet (1.8 m) long, weighing roughly 20 kg. Its femur (thigh bone) was 55 cm long. It was a carnivore that lived during the late Jurassic period, about 156 to 145 million years ago. Its bones were hollow and lightweight, so Coelurus was probably light and fast. Its fossils were found in Wyoming. Coelurus was named by paleontologist Othniel C. Marsh in 1879.