[6] A specimen of C. normalis was described in 2010 from Cabeza Blanca (Chubut, Argentina) in the Sarmiento Formation, in sediments assigned to the Deseadan SALMA (Upper Oligocene).

The skull of this animal was relatively elongated and provided with a slightly recessed nasal opening, which would indicate the presence of a strong, muscular lip, likely prehensile.

In similar but larger and more recent forms, such as Theosodon and Scalabrinitherium, this lip gradually developed, eventually giving rise to a possibly proboscis-like structure with Macrauchenia.

It is a primitive representative of the Macraucheniidae, a group of South American mammals belonging to the Litopterna, with forms similar to those of camelids, despite not being closely related.

In the Chichinales Formation, which is known for its local mammal fauna, Cramauchenia would have coexisted with astrapotheres, the notoungulates Cochilius volvens, Colpodon, Hegetotheriopsis, Hegetotherium[10] and Protypotherium, the rodents Australoprocta, Caviocricetus, Eoviscaccia, and Willidewu,[11] the armadillos Proeutatus and Stenotatus, and the sparassodont Cladosictis.

[2] The Sarmiento Formation has provided a wide assemblage of mammals, including the astrapotheres Astrapotherium and Parastrapotherium,[12] the notoungulates Argyrohippus,[13] Cochilius, Colpodon,[14] Interatherium, Pachyrukhos and Protypotherium,[15] the fellow litopterns Lambdaconus, Paramacrauchenia, Proheptaconus,[16] Prolicaphrium,[17] Pternoconius,[18][19][20] Tetramerorhinus[15] and Theosodon,[21] the xenarthrans Hapaloides, Holomegalonyx, Nematherium, Peltephilus, Proeutatus, Proschismotherium, Prozaedyus, Stegotherium, and Stenotatus,[22] the metatherians Acyon, Acrocyon, Arctodictis, Borhyaena, Cladosictis Palaeothentes, Patagonia, and Sipalocyon,[23] the rodents Acarechimys, Acaremys, Caviocricetus, Eosteiromys, Eoviscaccia, Hypsosteiromys, Neoreomys, Paradelphomys, Parasteiromys, Perimys, Prospaniomys, Prostichomys, Protacaremys, Protadelphomys, Sarremys and Soriamys,[11][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] and the primates Homunculus, Mazzonicebus and Tremacebus.