Camelid

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Camelid

Camelids are members of the biological family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
Camelidae, the only living family in the suborder Tylopoda

Tylopoda

Tylopoda is a suborder of the mammalian order Artiodactyla, containing the camel family. In the past, this group was much more diverse, containing the families Xiphodontidae, Oromerycidae, Protoceratidae, Cainotheriidae, and the two families of oreodonts, Agriochoeridae and Merycoidodontidae....
. Camel

Camel

Camels are even-toed ungulates within the genus Camelus. The dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and is well known for its healthy low fat milk, and the Bactrian camel has two humps....
s, dromedaries

Dromedary

The Dromedary camel is a large even-toed ungulate. It is often referred to as the one-humped camel, Arabian camel, or simply as the "dromedary"....
, llama

Llama

The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a pack animal by the Incas and other natives of the Andes mountains. In South America llamas are still used as beasts of burden, as well as for the production of fiber and meat....
s, alpaca

Alpaca

The Alpaca is a Domestication species of South American camelid. It resembles a small llama in superficial appearance.Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of Ecuador, southern Peru, northern Bolivia, and northern Chile at an altitude of to meters above sea-level, throughout the year....
s, vicuña

Vicuña

The vicu?a or vicugna is one of two wild South American camelids, along with the guanaco, which live in the high alpine areas of the Andes....
s, and guanacos are in this group.

Camelids are even-toed ungulates: they are classified in the Artiodactyla order

Order (biology)

In Biological classification used in biology, the order is a taxonomic rank between class and family . The superorder is a rank between class and order....
. Other suborders of Artiodactyla include pigs, peccaries and hippos (suborder Suina

Suina

The suborder Suina contains perhaps the earliest and most archaic Artiodactyla....
) and the extraordinarily successful and diverse suborder Ruminantia

Ruminantia

The biological suborder Ruminantia includes many of the well-known large grazing or browsing mammals: among them cattle, capra s, sheep, deer, and antelope....
(which includes cattle, goats, antelope and many others).

lids are large animals with slender necks and long legs, and are strictly herbivorous.

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Encyclopedia

Camelids are members of the biological family

Family (biology)

Tylopoda

Camel

Dromedary

The Dromedary camel is a large even-toed ungulate. It is often referred to as the one-humped camel, Arabian camel, or simply as the "dromedary"....
, llama

Llama

Alpaca

Vicuña

Order (biology)

Suina

The suborder Suina contains perhaps the earliest and most archaic Artiodactyla....
) and the extraordinarily successful and diverse suborder Ruminantia

Ruminantia

Characteristics

Camelsfootforexceedinglyimportantarticle

Camelids are large animals with slender necks and long legs, and are strictly herbivorous. Camelids differ from true ruminant

Ruminant

Physiologically, a ruminant is a mammal of the order Artiodactyla that digests plant-based food by initially softening it within the animal's first stomach, known as the rumen, then regurgitating the semi-digested mass, now known as cud, and chewing it again....
s in a number of ways. Their dentition shows traces of vesitigial central incisor

Incisor

Incisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and mandible below....
s in the upper jaw, and the third incisors are developed into canine-like tusks. Camelids also have true canine teeth and tusk-like premolars which are separated from the molars by a gap. The musculature of the hind limbs differs from those of other ungulates by the fact that the legs are attached to the body at the top of the thigh only, rather than attached by skin and muscle from the knee downwards. Because of this, camelids have to lie down by resting on their knees with their legs tucked underneath the body. They have a three-chambered rather than a four-chambered digestive tract, an upper lip that is split in two with each part separately mobile, and uniquely among mammals, elliptical red blood cell

Red blood cell

Red blood cells are the most common type of blood cell and the vertebrate body's principal means of delivering oxygen to the body tissues via the blood....
s. They also have a unique type of antibodies

Antibody

Antibodies are gamma globulin proteins that are found in blood or other bodily fluids of vertebrates, and are used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects, such as bacterium and viruses....
lacking the light chain, in addition to the normal antibodies found in other species. These antibodies are being used to develop 'nanobodies

Nanobodies

Nanobodies are a type of antibodies derived from camelids, and are much smaller than traditional antibodies. Standard antibodies are giants by molecular standards, since each one is a conglomerate of two heavy protein chains and two light chains, intricately folded and garnished with elaborate sugars....
'.

They do not have hooves, rather a two-toed foot with toenails and a soft footpad (Tylopoda is Latin for "padded foot"). The main weight of the animal is borne by these tough, leathery sole-pads. The South American camelids, adapted to steep and rocky terrain, can move the pads on their toes to maintain grip. Many fossil camelids were unguligrade and probably hooved, in contrast to all living species.

The two Afro-Asian camel species have developed extensive adaptations to their life in harsh, near-waterless environments. Wild populations of the bactrian camel are even able to drink brackish water

Brackish water

Brackish water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing of seawater with fresh water, as in estuary, or it may occur in brackish fossil aquifers....
, and some herds live in nuclear test areas.

Evolution

Camelids are unusual in that their modern distribution is almost a mirror-image of their origin. Camelids first appeared very early in the evolution of the even-toed ungulates, around 45 million years ago during the middle Eocene

Eocene

The Eocene Geologic time scale is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in the Cenozoic era....
, in present-day North America

North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
. Among the earliest camelids was the rabbit-sized Protylopus
Protylopus

Protylopus is an extinct genus of camel, lived during middle to late Eocene some 45-40 million years ago in North America.The oldest camel known, it was also the smallest, reaching a length of , and probably weighing around ....
, which still had four toes on each foot. By the late Eocene

Eocene

The Eocene Geologic time scale is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in the Cenozoic era....
around 35 million years ago, camelids such as Poebrotherium
Poebrotherium

Poebrotherium is an extinct genus of camelid, that lived during the late Eocene to early Oligocene some 35 million years ago in North America....
had lost the two lateral toes, and were about the size of a modern goat

Goat

The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep: both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae....
.

The family diversified and prospered but remained confined to the North American continent until only about 2 or 3 million years ago, when representatives arrived in Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, and (after the formation of the Isthmus of Panama

Isthmus of Panama

The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North America and South America....
), South America

South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
.

The original camelids of North America remained common until the quite recent geological past, but then disappeared, possibly as a result of hunting or habitat alterations by the earliest human settlers

Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those peoples....
. Three species groups survived: the Dromedary

Dromedary

The Dromedary camel is a large even-toed ungulate. It is often referred to as the one-humped camel, Arabian camel, or simply as the "dromedary"....
of northern Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
and south-west Asia; the Bactrian Camel

Bactrian camel

The Bactrian Camel is a large even-toed ungulate native to the steppes of north eastern Asia. It is one of the two surviving species of camel....
of central Asia; and the South American group, which has now diverged into a range of forms that are closely related but usually classified as four species: Llama

Llama

Alpaca

Vicuña

The vicu?a or vicugna is one of two wild South American camelids, along with the guanaco, which live in the high alpine areas of the Andes....
s.

Fossil camelids show a wider variety than their modern counterparts. One North American genus, Titanotylopus
Titanotylopus

Titanotylopus is an extinct genus of camelid which lived during the Hemphilian to Irvingtonian eras in prehistoric North America. Its name is derived from the Greek language words ??t??, t???? and p??? ? "Titan ", "knob" and "foot"; thus, "giant knobby-foot."...
, stood 3.5 metres at the shoulder, compared with the approximately two metres of the largest modern camelids. Other extinct camelids included small, gazelle-like animals, such as Stenomylus
Stenomylus

Stenomylus is an extinct genus of miniature camelid native to North America. Its name is derived from the Greek language ste????, "narrow" and ?????, "molar."...
. Finally, there were a number of very tall, giraffe-like camelids, adapted to feeding on leaves from high trees, including such genera as Aepycamelus
Aepycamelus

Aepycamelus is an extinct genus of camelid, formerly called Alticamelus in scientific literature. Its name is derived from the Homeric Greek , "high and steep" and ???e??? - "camel"; thus, "high camel"; alticamelus in Latin....
, and Oxydactylus
Oxydactylus

Oxydactylus, from the Ancient Greek language ???? and d??t???? is an extinct genus of Camelidae originating in North America. They had very long legs and necks, and were probably adapted to eating high vegetation, much like modern giraffes....
.

Scientific classification

ORDER ARTIODACTYLA

Suborder Suina
Suina

The suborder Suina contains perhaps the earliest and most archaic Artiodactyla....
Suborder Ruminantia
Ruminantia

The biological suborder Ruminantia includes many of the well-known large grazing or browsing mammals: among them cattle, capra s, sheep, deer, and antelope....
Suborder Tylopoda
Tylopoda

Tylopoda is a suborder of the mammalian order Artiodactyla, containing the camel family. In the past, this group was much more diverse, containing the families Xiphodontidae, Oromerycidae, Protoceratidae, Cainotheriidae, and the two families of oreodonts, Agriochoeridae and Merycoidodontidae....

†Family Xiphodontidae
†Family Protoceratidae
Protoceratidae

Protoceratidae are an extinct, herbivorous group of North American even-toed ungulates. Physically, they resembled deer; however, they were more closely related to camelids....
†Family Oromerycidae
Oromerycidae

Oromerycidae is a small extinct family_ of artiodactyls closely related to living camels, known from the middle to late Eocene of western North America....
†Family Merycoidodontidae
Family Camelidae

†Subfamily Poebrodontinae
†Subfamily Poebrotheriinae
†Subfamily Miolabinae
†Subfamily Stenomylinae
†Subfamily Floridatragulinae
Subfamily Camelinae

Genus: Lama
Lama (genus)

Lama is the modern genus name for two South American camelids, the wild guanaco and the domesticated llama. This genus is closely allied to the wild vicu?a and domesticated alpaca of the genus Vicugna....

Llama
Llama

The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a pack animal by the Incas and other natives of the Andes mountains. In South America llamas are still used as beasts of burden, as well as for the production of fiber and meat....
, Lama glama
Guanaco, Lama guanicoe

Genus: Vicugna

Vicuña
Vicuña

The vicu?a or vicugna is one of two wild South American camelids, along with the guanaco, which live in the high alpine areas of the Andes....
, Vicugna vicugna
Alpaca
Alpaca

The Alpaca is a Domestication species of South American camelid. It resembles a small llama in superficial appearance.Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of Ecuador, southern Peru, northern Bolivia, and northern Chile at an altitude of to meters above sea-level, throughout the year....
, Vicugna pacos (previously categorized in genus Lama)

Genus: Camel
Camel

Camels are even-toed ungulates within the genus Camelus. The dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and is well known for its healthy low fat milk, and the Bactrian camel has two humps....
us

Dromedary
Dromedary

The Dromedary camel is a large even-toed ungulate. It is often referred to as the one-humped camel, Arabian camel, or simply as the "dromedary"....
, Camelus dromedarius
Bactrian Camel
Bactrian camel

The Bactrian Camel is a large even-toed ungulate native to the steppes of north eastern Asia. It is one of the two surviving species of camel....
, Camelus bactrianus
†Syrian Camel
Syrian Camel

The Syrian Camel is an extinct species of camel from Syria. Found to have existed around 100,000 years ago, the camel was up to 3 meters tall at the shoulder, and 4 meters tall overall....
†Camelus gigas
†Camelus hesternus
†Camelus sivalensis

Phylogenetic tree

Camelid ancestor	North America North America North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere.... 12-25 mya Mya (unit) In astronomy, geology, and paleontology, mya or "m.y.a." is an abbreviation for "million years ago". Like the related unit bya, mya is traditionally written in lower case....	Lamini	10.4 mya	6.4 mya	1.4 mya	Llama Llama The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a pack animal by the Incas and other natives of the Andes mountains. In South America llamas are still used as beasts of burden, as well as for the production of fiber and meat....	South America South America South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
						Guanaco
					Vicuna Vicuña The vicu?a or vicugna is one of two wild South American camelids, along with the guanaco, which live in the high alpine areas of the Andes....
				Alpaca Alpaca The Alpaca is a Domestication species of South American camelid. It resembles a small llama in superficial appearance.Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of Ecuador, southern Peru, northern Bolivia, and northern Chile at an altitude of to meters above sea-level, throughout the year....
		Camelini	8 mya	Bactrian camel Bactrian camel The Bactrian Camel is a large even-toed ungulate native to the steppes of north eastern Asia. It is one of the two surviving species of camel....			Asia Asia Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
				Dromedary Dromedary The Dromedary camel is a large even-toed ungulate. It is often referred to as the one-humped camel, Arabian camel, or simply as the "dromedary"....			Asia Asia Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population.... , Africa Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....

Extinct genera of camelids

Genus name	Epoch	Remarks
Aepycamelus Aepycamelus *Aepycamelus* is an extinct genus of camelid, formerly called *Alticamelus* in scientific literature. Its name is derived from the Homeric Greek , "high and steep" and ???e??? - "camel"; thus, "high camel"; alticamelus in Latin....	Miocene Miocene The Miocene is a Geologic time scale of the Neogene period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.33 million years before the present. As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the start and end are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are uncertain....	Tall, s-shaped neck. True padded camel feet.
Camelops Camelops *Camelops* is an extinct genus of camels that once roamed western North America, where it disappeared at the end of the pleistocene about 10,000 years ago....	Pliocene Pliocene The Pliocene epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 1.806 million years before present.The Pliocene is the second epoch of the Neogene period in the Cenozoic era.... -Pleistocene Pleistocene The Pleistocene is the epoch from 1.8 million to 10,000 years Before Present covering the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....	Large, with true camel feet. Hump status uncertain.
Floridatragulus	Early Miocene Miocene The Miocene is a Geologic time scale of the Neogene period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.33 million years before the present. As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the start and end are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are uncertain....	A bizzare species of camel with a long snout
Oxydactylus Oxydactylus *Oxydactylus*, from the Ancient Greek language ???? and d??t???? is an extinct genus of Camelidae originating in North America. They had very long legs and necks, and were probably adapted to eating high vegetation, much like modern giraffes....	Early Miocene Miocene The Miocene is a Geologic time scale of the Neogene period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.33 million years before the present. As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the start and end are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are uncertain....	The earliest member of the "giraffe camel" family
Poebrotherium Poebrotherium *Poebrotherium* is an extinct genus of camelid, that lived during the late Eocene to early Oligocene some 35 million years ago in North America....	Oligocene Oligocene The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Geologic Timescale and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present....	This species of camel took the place of deer and antelope in the White River Badlands Badlands A badlands is a type of arid terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively Erosion by wind and water. It can resemble malpa?s, a terrain of volcanic rocks.... .
Procamelus Procamelus *Procamelus* is an extinct genus of camelid that lived during the Miocene epoch. Its name is derived from the Greek p??, meaning "before", and ???e??? , thus "early camel."...	Miocene Miocene The Miocene is a Geologic time scale of the Neogene period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.33 million years before the present. As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the start and end are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are uncertain....	Ancestor of extinct Titanolypus and modern Camelus.
Protylopus Protylopus *Protylopus* is an extinct genus of camel, lived during middle to late Eocene some 45-40 million years ago in North America.The oldest camel known, it was also the smallest, reaching a length of , and probably weighing around ....	Late Eocene Eocene The Eocene Geologic time scale is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in the Cenozoic era....	Earliest member of the camelids
Stenomylus Stenomylus *Stenomylus* is an extinct genus of miniature camelid native to North America. Its name is derived from the Greek language ste????, "narrow" and ?????, "molar."...	Early Miocene Miocene The Miocene is a Geologic time scale of the Neogene period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.33 million years before the present. As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the start and end are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are uncertain....	Small, gazelle-like camel that lived in large herds on the Great Plains.
Titanotylopus Titanotylopus *Titanotylopus* is an extinct genus of camelid which lived during the Hemphilian to Irvingtonian eras in prehistoric North America. Its name is derived from the Greek language words ??t??, t???? and p??? ? "Titan ", "knob" and "foot"; thus, "giant knobby-foot."...	Miocene Miocene The Miocene is a Geologic time scale of the Neogene period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.33 million years before the present. As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the start and end are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are uncertain.... -Pleistocene Pleistocene The Pleistocene is the epoch from 1.8 million to 10,000 years Before Present covering the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....	Tall, humped, true camel feet.

The newly discovered giant Syrian Camel

Syrian Camel

The Syrian Camel is an extinct species of camel from Syria. Found to have existed around 100,000 years ago, the camel was up to 3 meters tall at the shoulder, and 4 meters tall overall....
is yet to be officially described.

Camelid

Characteristics

Evolution

Scientific classification

Phylogenetic tree

Extinct genera of camelids

External links