The Syrian camel (''Camelus moreli''), is an extinct species of
camel
A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...
from
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
. It has been discovered in the
Hummal area of the western
Syrian desert
The Syrian Desert ( ar, بادية الشام ''Bādiyat Ash-Shām''), also known as the North Arabian Desert, the Jordanian steppe, or the Badiya, is a region of desert, semi-desert and steppe covering of the Middle East, including parts of sou ...
. Found to have existed around 100,000 years ago, the camel was up to tall at the shoulder, and tall overall.
The first of the fossils were discovered late in 2005, and several more were discovered about a year later.
The camelid was found together with
Middle Paleolithic
The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle Paleoli ...
human remains.
See also
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Megacamelus
''Megacamelus'' is an extinct genus of Terrestrial animal, terrestrial herbivore in the family (biology), family Camelidae, endemic to North America from the Miocene through Pliocene 10.3—4.9 Annum, mya, existing for approximately .
This was o ...
''
*''
Titanotylopus
''Titanotylopus'' is an extinct genus of terrestrial herbivore in the family Camelidae, endemic to North America from the late Hemphillian stage of the Miocene through the Irvingtonian stage of the Pleistocene. It was one of the last survivin ...
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*''
Megatylopus
''Megatylopus'' (also known as the North American camel) is an extinct genus of large camel, endemic to North America from the Late Miocene to the Pliocene, existing for approximately . Fossil distribution ranged from North Carolina to Califor ...
''
References
External links
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Mammals of the Middle East
Nomina nuda
Pleistocene extinctions
Prehistoric camelids
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