Camarasaurus came from the group of sauropods and is a plant-eating dinosaur. They used to settle in tropical, arid, and mid-arid areas. It has a scientific name of Camarasaurus supremus that has two subspecies, namely; C. lentus and C. grandis.
Key Facts
| Domain | Description |
|---|---|
| Camarasaurus pronunciation | kam-a-ra-saw-us |
| What does Camarasaurus mean? | The name Camarasaurus means “chambered lizard”. It was named after the hollow chambers found in its spine which aid in reducing the weight of the skeleton in the neck area. Such chambers were connected with the air sacks for breathing. It was named by Edward Drinker Cope. |
| Dinosaur type | Sauropod |
| On the menu | Herbivore |
| Length | 24 ft to 75ft |
| Height | 7 ft to 15 ft |
| Weight | 20 tons to 50 tons |
| Life expectancy | The average lifespan of this sauropod dinosaur was about 26 years. |
| Legs used to get around | Quadrupedal |
| Estimated top speed | There’s no exact speed for this sauropod, however since they have really heavy bones, it is assumed that they moved slowly to match their size. |
| When they lived | Camarasaurus existed around 155 to 145 million years ago to the Cenomanian Age of the Late Jurassic period. |
| Where they have been found? | Camarasaurus are terrestrial dinosaurs that search for their food on land, therefore it’s possible that they lived in the forests, marsh areas and open lands. Since most of the specimens were collected in the North American continent, it is believed that it’s the most common dinosaur in the area. |
When & Where
Oramel W. Lucas was the first one to discover the Camarasaurus fossils in 1877 when he was able to bring home 5 wagon loads of dinosaur bones from his exploration in the Morrison Formation in Colorado. It was then purchased by the paleontologist, Edward Drinker Cope, and named Camarasaurus.
Size & Weight
This quadrupedal sauropod was anywhere between 24 ft to 75 ft in length, 7 ft to 15 ft tall and weighed about 20 tons to 50 tons.
Mobility & Diet
Camarasaurus are plant-eating dinosaurs from the Jurassic period. They used to get their food in the forests, marsh areas and open lands. Though their size is a bit terrifying, these dinosaurs were very calm in nature.
Interesting Points
- They used to live in a small river blome.
- There were about 121 specimens collected by paleontologists.
- Camarasaurus was assumed to have a very muscular but inflexible neck.
- Young Camarasaurus’s natural enemies were the Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus and Torvosaurus.
- Their worn-out teeth were being replaced with a new one every 62 days.
- Unlike other sauropods, Camarasaurus used to lay eggs in lines, where females probably are walking while laying eggs.
- Some researchers concluded that Camarasaurus becomes sexually mature at the age of 20 years.
- Camarasaurus was believed to be extinct by the end of the Jurassic period.
- This dinosaur used to eat stones to help them digest plant materials. The stones are known as gastroliths. Those were kept in their stomachs until they became too smooth to be used, then Camarasaurus would poop or regurgitate them, which in turn will require them to swallow more stones for replacement.
- Paleontologists are still studying whether Camarasaurus can raise its head very high due to its height. However, some speculated that it’s impossible since raising its head that high can cause to have too much pressure on its heart.
- Other paleontologists won’t agree with such an assertion since according to them, even if they can’t raise their heads so high, they can still use their hind legs to reach the top of the trees.