Camarasaurus grandis
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Camarasaurus Temporal range: Late Jurassic, 155–145 Ma |
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| Mounted skeletal cast at the Jurassic Museum of Asturias | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Sauropoda |
| Clade: | †Camarasauromorpha |
| Clade: |
†Camarasauridae Cope, 1878 |
| Subfamily: |
†Camarasaurinae Cope, 1878 |
| Genus: |
†Camarasaurus Cope, 1877a |
| Type species | |
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†Camarasaurus supremus Cope, 1877a |
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| Species | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Camarasaurus (/ˌkæmərəˈsɔːrəs/ KAM-ə-rə-SAWR-əs) was a genus of quadrupedal, herbivorous dinosaurs. It was the most common of the giant sauropods to be found in North America. Its fossil remains have been found in the Morrison Formation of Colorado and Utah, dating to the Late Jurassic epoch (Kimmeridgian to Tithonian stages), between 155 and 145 million years ago.
Camarasaurus presented a distinctive cranial profile of a blunt snout and an arched skull that was remarkably square. It likely travelled in herds, or at least in family groups.
The name means "chambered lizard", referring to the hollow chambers in its vertebrae (Greek καμαρα/kamara meaning "vaulted chamber", or anything with an arched cover, and σαυρος/sauros meaning "lizard").
Camarasaurus is among the most common and frequently well-preserved sauropod dinosaurs. The maximum size of the most common species, C. lentus, was about 15 meters (49 ft) in length. The largest species, C. supremus, reached a maximum length of 23 meters (75 ft) and maximum estimated weight of 47 tonnes (51.8 tons).
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