Coelurosaur

Coelurosaurians Temporal range: Late Jurassic–Present, 165–0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N Possible Early Jurassic record
Reconstructed coelurosaur skeleton, Wyoming Dinosaur Center
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Dinosauria
Order:	Saurischia
Suborder:	Theropoda
Clade:	Avetheropoda
Clade:	Coelurosauria von Huene, 1914
Subgroups
†Aniksosaurus †Bagaraatan †Bicentenaria †Coelurus? †Lourinhanosaurus? †Nedcolbertia †Phaedrolosaurus †Richardoestesia †Sciurumimus? †Tanycolagreus? †Teinurosaurus †Tugulusaurus †Xinjiangovenator †Zuolong Tyrannoraptora Sereno, 1999 †Aorun †Ornitholestes †Scipionyx †Compsognathidae †Tyrannosauroidea Maniraptoriformes

Coelurosauria (/sɪˌljʊərəˈsɔːriə/; from Greek, meaning "hollow tailed lizards") is the clade containing all theropod dinosaurs more closely related to birds than to carnosaurs.

Coelurosauria is a subgroup of theropod dinosaurs that includes compsognathids, tyrannosaurs, ornithomimosaurs, and maniraptorans; Maniraptora includes birds, the only dinosaur group alive today.

Most feathered dinosaurs discovered so far have been coelurosaurs. Philip J. Currie considers it probable that all coelurosaurs were feathered. In the past, Coelurosauria was used to refer to all small theropods, although this classification has been abolished.

The studying of anatomical traits in coelurosaurs indicates that the last common ancestor had evolved the ability to eat and digest plant matter, adapting to an omnivorous diet, an ability that could be a major contributor to the clade's success. Later groups would hold on to the omnivory, while others specialized in various directions, becoming insectivorous (Alvarezsauridae), herbivorous (Therizinosauridae) and carnivorous (Tyrannosauroidea and Dromaeosauridae). The group includes some of the largest (Tyrannosaurus) and smallest (Microraptor, Parvicursor) carnivorous dinosaurs ever discovered. Characteristics that distinguish coelurosaurs include:

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