Camelus thomasi

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Camelus thomasi
Temporal range: 1.2–0.5  Ma
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Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Camelidae
Genus: Camelus
Species:
C. thomasi
Binomial name
Camelus thomasi
(Pomel, 1893)

Camelus thomasi (also known as Thomas' Camel) is an extinct species of camel from the Early-Mid Pleistocene of North Africa. It is known primarily from Tighennif (Ternifine) in Algeria. Fossils from northern Sudan and Israel dated to the Late Pleistocene have been included under C. thomasi, but they are now considered to belong to different species, making C. thomasi a strictly Northwest African species. [2]

Description

Camelus thomasi was larger than any living species of camel. Other defining characteristics include pachyostosis especially marked in the mandible, broad molars with strong styles, and several unique cranial features. Some studies have linked it as a possible ancestor to the dromedary, [3] while others suggest it may be more closely related to the Bactrian camel of central Asia. [4] However, a 2018 study revealed such assertions to be lacking any scientific basis, and C. thomasi appears to not be closely related to any living camel. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camel</span> Genus of mammals

A camel is an even-toed ungulate in the genus Camelus that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provide food and textiles. Camels are working animals especially suited to their desert habitat and are a vital means of transport for passengers and cargo. There are three surviving species of camel. The one-humped dromedary makes up 94% of the world's camel population, and the two-humped Bactrian camel makes up 6%. The wild Bactrian camel is a distinct species that is not ancestral to the domestic Bactrian camel, and is now critically endangered, with fewer than 1,000 individuals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camelidae</span> Family of mammals

Camelids are members of the biological family Camelidae, the only currently living family in the suborder Tylopoda. The seven extant members of this group are: dromedary camels, Bactrian camels, wild Bactrian camels, llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, and guanacos. Camelids are even-toed ungulates classified in the order Artiodactyla, along with species including whales, pigs, deer, cattle, and antelopes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dromedary</span> One-humped camel

The dromedary, also known as the dromedary camel, Arabian camel, or one-humped camel, is a large camel, of the genus Camelus, with one hump on its back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bactrian camel</span> Species of mammal of Asia

The Bactrian camel, also known as the Mongolian camel, domestic Bactrian camel or two-humped camel, is a large camel native to the steppes of Central Asia. It has two humps on its back, in contrast to the single-humped dromedary. Its population of 2 million exists mainly in the domesticated form. Their name comes from the ancient historical region of Bactria.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hybrid camel</span> Hybrid between a Bactrian camel and dromedary

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wild Bactrian camel</span> Species of camel

The wild Bactrian camel is an endangered species of camel endemic to Northwest China and southwestern Mongolia. It is closely related but not ancestral to the domestic Bactrian camel. Genetic studies have established it as a separate species which diverged from the Bactrian camel about 0.7–1.1 million years ago.

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References

  1. Geraads, Denis; Didier, Gilles; Barr, Andrew; Reed, Denne; Laurin, Michel (April 2020). "The fossil record of camelids demonstrates a late divergence between Bactrian camel and dromedary=Acta Palaeontologica Polonica". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 65 (2): 251–260. doi: 10.4202/app.00727.2020 . eISSN   1732-2421. ISSN   0567-7920.
  2. Thomsen, Søren Bay Kruse (May 29, 2021). "The Mysterious Origins of the Dromedary". The Extinctions. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  3. Peters, J. (1997). "Camelus thomasi Pomel, 1893, a possible ancestor of the one-humped camel?". Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde. 63: 372–376.
  4. Gautier, A. (November 1966). "Camelus thomasi from the Northern Sudan and Its Bearing on the Relationship C. thomasi: C. bactrianus". Journal of Paleontology. 40 (6): 1368–1372. JSTOR   1301954. Archived from the original on 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  5. Martini, Pietro; Geraads, Denis (March 2018). "Camelus thomasi Pomel, 1893 from the Pleistocene type-locality Tighennif (Algeria). Comparisons with modern Camelus". Geodiversitas. 40: 115–134. doi: 10.5252/geodiversitas2018v40a5 . S2CID   133952148.