National Park Service White Sands U.S. Department of the Interior

White Sands National Monument Ancient Camel

Ancient Camel / Camelops hesternus (NPS photo) houghts of camels may conjure up images of camel caravans, with lines of light brown, single-humped, dromedary Tcamels crossing the sandy landscape of the Sahara Desert. Nowadays, camels like these, as well as the two-humped Bactrian camels, live in Africa and Asia, but did you know camels actually originated in North America? The ancestor of modern camels and living throughout North America, helped it survive and thrive llamas first appeared on this continent possibly in herds or family-groups. throughout North America. However, about 45 million years ago, and its Evidence of its presence has been that changed about 12,000 years ago descendants later spread throughout found from Alaska to Mexico, when these camels went extinct. the world. The ancient western mostly in the western and central Clearly camels in other parts of the camel, also known as Yesterday’s parts of the continent. Here in New world survived to present-day, but camel, Camelops hesternus, or simply Mexico, for example, it is the fourth Camelops hesternus and other North Camelops, was one such descendant. most common animal known from American camels died off around the This now-extinct camel roamed the Ice Age faunas in in the state, end of the Pleistocene epoch. Why? throughout North America during the based on fossilized bones. Here at Well, recent finds at Wally’s Beach Pleistocene epoch. White Sands National Monument, in Alberta, Canada, have shown however, instead of bones we have that Camelops was a victim of early, Although more closely related found footprints. This includes human hunters. The combination to modern llamas than camels, one trackway (a set of tracks) that of this human hunting and climate Camelops probably looked a lot like stretches over two miles long! As it change at the end of the last ice age dromedary camels of today. This turns out, Camelops leaves distinctive is thought to have caused the demise camel stood a little taller, boasting tracks. Like modern camels, this of Camelops here in North America, longer legs and a height of seven feet ancient camel did not have hooves; a fate shared by many other now- (over 2 meters) at the shoulder, but it instead, its feet were made up of two extinct Pleistocene mammals. shared the long necks and faces, short digits with a hard, thick nail and thick tails, and long legs of its present- soles on the bottom of its foot for day camel relatives. It may have also walking. When it would walk, its toes had a hump, but fatty humps are not would splay out, creating a distinctive preserved alongside bones, so this is track that has been found here at the not known for sure. monument!

It is known that the Camelops The ability of Camelops to browse was strictly an American camel, and graze across great distances Revised 09/5/2016