Ancient Ancestor of Camel Thrived in Canadian High Arctic

About 3.5 million years ago, a large camel thrived during what is known as the mid-Pliocene warm period. Temperatures were about 3.5 to 6 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than today, allowing these camels to dwell in areas of North America. Unlike modern camels, though, these ancient ancestors weren't found in the desert. Instead, they existed somewhere far, far colder. Researchers have found evidence that these animals once lived in the Canadian High Arctic.

Even with the warmer temperatures, surviving in the Arctic would have been difficult. The camels would have had to cope with long and harsh winters where temperatures plunged well bellowing freezing. In addition, there would have been snow storms and months of darkness. Unlike today, though, the region would have been covered by forest.

The findings come after fossil remains were discovered on Ellesmere Island in Canada's northernmost territory. The fossil places the known range of these camels 745 miles further north than previously recorded.

These beasts were about 30 percent larger than the modern camel, and first originated in North America during the Eocene period about 45 million years ago. Later, they crossed to Eurasia over the Bering Isthmus, a land bridge that existed between Alaska and Russia.

The recently discovered fossil is made up of the camel's tibia. A total of 30 pieces of this one bone were found. Researchers then analyzed these pieces with collagen fingerprinting in order to determine the identity and age of the camel. The technique measures the amount of a bone protein called Type I collagen. Since different mammals have different amounts of this protein, researchers were able to use it to learn about the species.

Although there are certainly differences between the ancient camel and the modern camel, there are some surprising similarities. Like the camels of today, it possessed a hump. Storing massive amounts of fat, this structure provided the animal with the reserves it needed to survive the Arctic winters. In addition, the camel's large eyes would have helped them see in the low-light environment during winter months, and the flat feet would have been just as useful for walking on snow as they are for walking on sand.

The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications.