Paleontologists describe Vampyrocamelus welshi, a 13-million-year-old camel with nearly 5 cm canines

Paleontologists have described a previously unknown genus of ancient camels that lived in North America about 13 million years ago, according to wtftime.ru. wtftime.ruwtftime.ruwtftime.ruOpen source ↗ The animals had long necks, slender legs and sharp curved canines almost 5 centimeters long. For its unusual appearance the new genus was named Vampyrocamelus welshi, or "vampire camel."

What the canines were for

One hypothesis holds that the canines served as protection against large cats that inhabited North American savannas 7–15 million years ago. Paleontologist Catherine Marriott of the American Museum of Natural History considers it more likely that they were used in mating fights: modern male camels also bite rivals in competition for females. More information on the function of the canines could come from a microscopic study of wear on the tooth enamel, but no such data exist yet.

Body plan and the camel family

In build, Vampyrocamelus resembled a giraffe. Scientists suggest that the long neck let it feed on leaves and other vegetation at a height out of reach of short herbivores. Such specialization was typical of ancient North American camels in general.

Some species resembled small fast antelopes less than a meter tall, while others reached gigantic sizes. For example, members of the genus Megacamelus could stand about 4 meters at the withers, like an elephant. wtftime.ruwtftime.ruwtftime.ruOpen source ↗

North America is considered the homeland of camels. The first members of the family appeared there about 46 million years ago and later spread to other continents. Fossil finds indicate that several species could coexist in one area: at excavation sites in Nebraska, researchers often find remains of 7–8 camel varieties within a single site.