Camarasauridae

Camarasauridae was named by Edward Drinker Cope in 1877. Its type genus is Camarasaurus, and it is defined as the clade containing all species more closely related to Camarasaurus supremus than Saltasaurus loricatus. == Diagnostic characters ==

Several skeletal features have been used to characterize the camarasaurids. In the skull, these include an external narial diameter approximately 40% of the long-axis length of the skull, an arched internarial bar, a short muzzle anterior to the nares, and maxillary shelf. In the rest of the axial skeleton, these include flat ventral faces on the cervical vertebrae, a triangular flare to the neural spines of the middle and posterior dorsal vertebrae, and a concave posterior surface to the anterior thoracic ribs, as well as an external haemal canal across the anterior vertebrae of the tail. A reduction to two carpals, long metacarpals relative to the radius, and a twisted ischial shaft serve to identify the appendicular skeleton. == Palaeobiogeography ==

Broadly speaking, camarasaurids occupied a distribution limited to the Laurasian continent during the Upper Jurassic. == Palaeoecology ==

Dental microwear indicates that camarasaurids had a narrow ecological niche breadth, as variability in microwear patterns between different camarasaurids is very low, and that they likely frequently migrated in search of new food sources. In North America, camarasaurids filled a similar niche to turiasaurs, while in Europe, where turiasaurs were present, camarasaurids and turiasaurs occupied clearly distinct niches due to niche partitioning. ==References==