Image: Coelophysis bauri mount

Description: Coelophysis bauri (Cope, 1887) theropod dinosaur from the Triassic of New Mexico, USA. This is a remarkable complete skeleton of the small early theropod Coelophysis. It comes from a nearly monospecific concentration of numerous complete to disarticulated skeletons in reddish-colored fluvial siltstones, often called a "Coelophysis graveyard". This occurrence has been interpreted as a carcass-jammed channel filling following mass mortality of dinosaurs by regional drought (see Schwartz & Gillette, 1994). Stratigraphy: Rock Point Member, Chinle Formation, Upper Triassic Locality: Whitaker Quarry (Coelophysis Quarry), Ghost Ranch, Rio Arriba County, northern New Mexico, USA Some info. from: Hunt, A.P. & S.G. Lucas. 1991. Rioarribasaurus, a new name for a Late Triassic dinosaur from New Mexico (USA). Paläontologische Zeitschrift 65: 191-198. Schwartz, H.L. & D.D. Gillette. 1994. Geology and taphonomy of the Coelophysis Quarry, Upper Triassic Chinle Formation, Ghost Ranch, New Mexico. Journal of Paleontology 68: 1118-1130. Theropod were small to large, bipedal dinosaurs. Almost all known members of the group were carnivorous (predators and/or scavengers). They represent the ancestral group to the birds, and some theropods are known to have had feathers. Some of the most well known dinosaurs to the general public are theropods, such as Tyrannosaurus, Allosaurus, and Spinosaurus.
Title: Coelophysis bauri mount
Credit: Coelophysis bauri theropod dinosaur (Chinle Formation, Upper Triassic; Coelophysis Quarry, Ghost Ranch, Rio Arriba County, northern New Mexico, USA) 1
Author: James St. John
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
License: CC BY 2.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes