Eusauropoda

Eusauropods Temporal range: Early Jurassic—Late Cretaceous, 184.5–66 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Skull of Jobaria
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Dinosauria
Clade:	Saurischia
Clade:	†Sauropodomorpha
Clade:	†Sauropoda
Clade:	†Gravisauria
Clade:	†Eusauropoda Upchurch, 1995
Subgroups
†Cetiosauridae †Mamenchisauridae †Turiasauria †Neosauropoda Uncertain affinity and basal genera †Algoasaurus? †Asiatosaurus? †Atlasaurus? †Bagualia †Barapasaurus? †Bellusaurus †Cetiosauriscus †Chebsaurus †Chondrosteosaurus? †Ferganasaurus †Lapparentosaurus †Jobaria †Klamelisaurus? †Kotasaurus? †Liubangosaurus †Nebulasaurus †Ohmdenosaurus? †Qinlingosaurus? †Rhoetosaurus? †Shunosaurus †Spinophorosaurus †Volkheimeria

Eusauropoda (meaning "True Lizard Foot") is a derived clade of sauropod dinosaurs. Eusauropods represent the node-based group that includes all descendant sauropods starting with the basal eusauropods of Shunosaurus, and possibly Barapasaurus, and Amygdalodon, but excluding Vulcanodon and Rhoetosaurus.^[1] The Eusauropoda was coined in 1995 by Paul Upchurch to create a monophyletic new taxonomic group that would include all sauropods, except for the vulcanodontids.^[2]

Eusauropoda are herbivorous, quadrupedal, and have long necks. They have been found in South America, Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, and Africa.^[3] The temporal range of Eusauropoda ranges from the early Jurassic to the Latest Cretaceous periods.^[1] The most basal forms of eusauropods are not well known and because the cranial material for the Vulcanodon is not available, and the distribution of some of these shared derived traits that distinguish Eusauropoda is still completely clear.^[1][4] However the discovery of the vulcanodont, Tazoudasaurus, which does preserve cranial material did help refine some of the characteristics.^[5]