Cretaceous
Scipionyx
Scipionyx samniticus
The catalogue presents Scipionyx as a carnivore member of Compsognathidae that lived during the Cretaceous, between 113 Ma. Its estimated range is 2.0 m in length and 5 kg in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Campania, Italy. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Scipionyx, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Dal Sasso and Signore (1996).
The PBDB places it in Compsognathidae, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Compsognathidae.
- PBDB · taxon.parent
- Compsognathidae
In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range is the Albian.
The PBDB catalogues 1 occurrence. Provenance: Italy.
The catalogue records the holotype as SBA-SA 163760 and the type locality as “Campania, Italy”.
- SBA-SA 163760
- Campania, Italy
The catalogue's reference measurements are 2.0 m in length and 5 kg in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 2.0 m
- 5 kg
The record gathers 10 bibliographic references registered in the PBDB, listed below.
Where it lived
Fossil occurrences on today’s map and in the tectonic reconstruction.
Positions reconstructed by PBDB/GPlates, not observed; this is not an exact habitat map.
Artistic 3D reconstruction
There is no approved species-specific 3D model yet. Generic anatomy will not be presented as if it were evidence.
Physical Specifications
- Length
- 2.0 m
- Weight
- 5 kg
- Period
- Cretaceous
- Time range
- 113 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 1998
- Described by
- Dal Sasso & Signore
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Saurischia
- Family
- Compsognathidae
- Genus
- Scipionyx
- Species
- S. samniticus
Data status
Taxonomic name matched to PBDB and checked on 2026-08-08.
Taxonomic linkage does not automatically validate size, mass, behaviour or appearance.
- Type specimen
- SBA-SA 163760
- Type locality
- Campania, Italy