Aepycamelus
| Aepycamelus Temporal range: early Miocene–late Miocene |
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| A twentieth-century artist's rendering of an Aepycamelus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Camelidae |
| Tribe: | Camelini |
| Genus: | †Aepycamelus MacDonald, 1956 |
| Species | |
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†Aepycamelus alexandrae |
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Aepycamelus is an extinct genus of camelid, formerly called Alticamelus which lived during the Miocene 20.6-4.9 Ma existing for approximately 15.7 million years.[1]
Its name is derived from the Homeric Greek αἰπύς, "high and steep" and κάμελος - "camel"; thus, "high camel"; alticamelus in Latin. Aepycamelus walked on its toes only. Unlike earlier species of camelid, they possessed cushioned pads like those of modern camels.[2]
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[edit] Morphology
Aepycamelus was a prairie dweller of North America (Colorado, etc.). It was a highly specialized animal. Its head was relatively small compared with the rest of its body, its neck was long, as a result of giraffe-like lengthening of the cervical vertebrae, and its legs were long and stilt-like, with the elbow and knee joints on the same level. The top of its head would have been about 3 metres (9.8 ft) above the ground.[2]
[edit] Body mass
Four fossil specimens were examined to determine body mass by M. Mendoza, C. M. Janis, and P. Palmqvist. [3] The findings are:
- Specimen 1: 721.3 kg (1,600 lb)
- Specimen 2: 621 kg (1,400 lb)
- Specimen 3: 574.7 kg (1,300 lb)
- Specimen 4: 363.5 kg (800 lb)
Its strange body structure gives us plenty of information on its mode of life and habits. Aepycamelus obviously inhabited dry grasslands with groups of trees. It is presumed to have moved about singly or in small groups, like today's giraffes, and like them, browsed high up in the trees. In this respect it had no competitors, it survived a relatively long time, lasting throughout the entirety of the Miocene epoch, and died out prior to the start of the Pliocene, possibly due to climatic changes.
[edit] Fossil distribution
Fossil distribution is widespread from Montana to Florida to California.
[edit] References
- ^ PaleoBiology Database: Aepycamelus, basic info
- ^ a b Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 277. ISBN 978-1-84028-152-1.
- ^ M. Mendoza, C. M. Janis, and P. Palmqvist. 2006. Estimating the body mass of extinct ungulates: a study on the use of multiple regression. Journal of Zoology 270(1):90-101
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2009) |
- Benes, Josef. Prehistoric Animals and Plants. Pg. 248. Prague: Artua, 1979.
