Coelurus

Coelurus; Temporal range: Late Jurassic,
	Skeletal restoration showing known remains
Scientific 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 (/sɪˈljʊərəs/ si-LURE-əs) is a genus of coelurosaurian dinosaur from the Late Jurassic period (mid-late Kimmeridgian faunal stage, 155–152 million years ago). The name means "hollow tail", referring to its hollow tail vertebrae (Greek κοῖλος, koilos = hollow + οὐρά, oura = tail). Although its name is linked to one of the main divisions of theropods (Coelurosauria), it has historically been poorly understood, and sometimes confused with its better-known contemporary Ornitholestes. Like many dinosaurs studied in the early years of paleontology, it has had a confusing taxonomic history, with several species being named and later transferred to other genera or abandoned. Only one species is currently recognized as valid: the type species, C. fragilis, described by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1879. It is known from one partial skeleton found in the Morrison Formation of Wyoming, United States. It was a small bipedal carnivore with elongate legs.