Camarasaurus supremus was named by
Edward Drinker Cope in 1877. It is the
type species of
Camarasaurus, and is one of four valid species of the genus, alongside
Camarasaurus grandis,
Camarasaurus lentus, and
Camarasaurus lewisi. The
type specimens of
C. supremus are a cervical vertebra, three dorsal vertebrae, and four caudal vertebrae, which probably come from more than one individual. These fossils are among the specimens catalogued as
AMNH 5760. There are four recognized junior subjective
synonyms of
Camarasaurus supremus, all of which were named by Cope soon after his discovery of
C. supremus:
Amphicoelias latus,
Caulodon diversidens,
Caulodon leptoganus, and
Camarasaurus leptodirus. Though
Amphicoelias latus is generally considered a synonym of
C. supremus, it has been argued that its stratigraphic position may make it more likely to be synonymous with
C. grandis. Due to their close anatomical similarity, there is some uncertainty regarding whether
C. lentus and
C. supremus are distinct species, but most researchers regard both species as valid. Specimens of
Camarasaurus supremus have been found in the
Morrison Formation. It is primarily known from several disarticulated skeletons from
Colorado collectively catalogued as AMNH 5760 and AMNH 5761, which consist of skull fragments, dozens of vertebrae, several bones of the pectoral girdle and pelvis, and a few limb bones. One or two other fragmentary specimens have also been reported from Colorado. Probable
C. supremus specimens including both juveniles and adults are known from
Oklahoma. ==Description==