Western Camel (Camelops hestermus)


 

Status: extinct

The Western camel once roamed the plains and grasslands of North America where they originated. The camel migrated to other parts of the world where the ancestors to the Western camel still survive today. The Western camel is also distantly related to cattle, deer and antelope. The Western camel was somewhat taller (seven feet at the shoulders) than the modern day one-humped camel.

Whether the Western camel had one hump or two is unknown, as the fat-filled energy storing structures leave no distinguishable telltale sign on the skeleton.