Camarasaurus

Life image of Camarasaurus supremus

• North America (USA)
• Europe ( Portugal)

Camarasaurus was a dinosaur genus from the group of sauropods. He lived in the Upper Jurassic in North America and Europe and is one of the most commonly found species of this group.

Features

Camarasaurus had the typical physique of sauropods: four strong legs carried the body. The neck and tail were extended - albeit shorter than other sauropods. The comparatively large but lightly built head ended in a blunt snout. The head was so easy because he had very large cranial window. Hence the name: Camarasaurus = Chambered Lizard. The large nostrils were before the eyes and may be signs of a good sense of smell. The teeth were large and spatulate.

The powerful legs always ended in five toes, the inner toe of the hind legs wearing an enlarged claw. The front legs were only slightly shorter than the hind legs, so that the back was almost flat. The vertebrae were hollow as in many later sauropods what the weight savings was used. Overall, the animals were about 18 feet long, reaching an estimated weight of up to 18 tons.

From Camarasaurus also juveniles were found. They had compared to the adult a large head and a short neck and tail.

Way of life

Skeletons of several animals were found close to each other, which suggests that Camarasaurus lived in herds or at least family associations. Even eggs were found, these were stored in a line behind each other and not in a nest. It is conjectured that these dinosaurs did not care for its eggs or young.

Finds and types

The first skeletons of Camarasaurus were discovered in Colorado in 1877 and purchased by Edward Drinker Cope - he was in a prestige duel, the " Bone Wars", with Othniel Charles Marsh. Cope named the finds Camarasaurus ( altgr.: "Chambered Lizard " ), presumably based on the hollow vortex. 1925 then the complete skeleton was discovered that a young animal. Other finds are known from the Midwestern United States and also from Portugal, they are assigned the following ways:

• C. alenquerensis ( Lapparent & Zbyszewski, 1957) lived in the Upper Jurassic ( Oxfordian and Kimmeridgian ) in what is now Portugal and was 18 meters long. When it detects the animal, it was considered an Apatosaurus Apatosaurus and called it therefore alenquerensis.

• C. grandis ( Marsh, 1877) lived in the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian in the United States today (Wyoming, Colorado, Montana). Of this kind six partial skeletons have been found, two with skull. It was first described under the basionym Apatosaurus grandis Marsh, 1877.

• C. annae Ellinger, 1950 lived in the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian in the United States today (Utah )

• C. lentus ( Marsh, 1889) lived in the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian in the United States today (Wyoming, Utah) and has been described under the basionym Morosaurus lentus Marsh 1889.

• Leptodirus C. Cope, 1879 lived in the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian in the United States today.

• C. lewisi ( Jensen, 1988) lived in the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian in the United States today (Colorado) and was originally placed in a separate genus Cathetosaurus.

• Supremus C. Cope, 1877 lived in the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian in the United States today (Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming) and was 18 meters long. Of this kind five partial skeletons have been found.

System

Camarasaurus is the eponymous member of the Camarasauridae, a group especially in the Upper Jurassic sauropod common.