When Camels Roamed North America

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Camels are famous for adaptations that have allowed them to flourish where most other large mammals would perish. But their story begins over 40 million years ago in North America, and in an environment, you’d never expect: a rainforest.  

Special thanks to Julio Lacerda, WillemSvdMerwe, and Ryan Somma for allowing us to use their images in this episode!

Produced for PBS Digital Studios.

Super special thanks to the following Patreon patrons for helping make Eons possible:

Katie Fichtner, Aldo Espinosa Zúñiga, Anthony Callaghan, Esmeralda Rupp-Spangle, Gregory Donovan, Ehit Dinesh Agarwal, الخليفي سلطان, Gabriel Cortez, Marcus Lejon, Anel Salas, Robert Arévalo, Robert Hill, Kelby Reid, Todd Dittman, Betsy Radley, PS, Colin Sylvester, Philip Slingerland, John Vanek, Jose Garcia, Noah offitzer, Eric Vonk, Tony Wamsley, Henrik Peteri, Jonathan Wright, Jon Monteiro, James Bording, Brad Nicholls, Miles Chaston, Michael McClellan, Jeff Graham, Maria Humphrey, Nathan Paskett, Connor Jensen, Sapjes, Daisuke Goto, Hubert Rady, Yuntao Zhou, Gregory Kintz, Tyson Cleary, Chandler Bass, Maly Lor, Joao Ascensao, Tsee Lee, Sarah Fritts, Ruben Winter, Ron Harvey Jr, Jacob Gerke, Alex Yan

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References:

[eons]

Hey, I want to clarify what we say about bactrian camels around 7:35. There are two different species of bactrians -- the so-called "wild bactrians" (camelus ferus), and "domestic bactrians" (camelus bactrianus). "Domestic bactrians" are descended from a species that is now extinct in the wild, and they are distinct from what we now called "wild bactrians". And the ancestor of domestic bactrians and what we call "wild bactrians" diverged 700, 000 years ago, according to DNA evidence. So, they diverged BEFORE camelus bactrianus was ever domesticated. Domestication didn’t CAUSE the speciation, which is how some viewers were hearing what I said. I hope this clears things up. Sorry for the confusion! (BdeP)

[SwarlesBarkleyJnr]

Can you do an episode on grass itself? I know It sounds like a boring subject the the appearance of grass changed everything and it's hard to find a good source of information about just how much of an effect it had on ecosystems

[hollyodii]

I wish each Eons episode was a 2 hr documentary! Every video is so interesting. I just want to hear more about each subject!

[intherift]

I like how camels have that relaxed chilled face with a slight smile.

[rivini]

It says a lot when a 10 minute video about camels is well liked. Same as all the other videos on this channel, it's very well put together, informative, and not at all boring. They even communicate with the viewers in the comments, especially when they make a mistake in the videos and quickly clarify on the misinformation. Not something you see from a lot of Youtube channels.

Amazing work, to be honest.

[TheHelleri]

There are feral camels in the American southwest. Several populations have started up and then diminished since the mid 1800's. I've seen a solitary bactrian camel from a distance while hiking in the high desert in California. My dad was doing some night field herping and stumbled into the middle of a herd of dromedary camels. Sometimes they escape captivity. Sometimes they are set loose. Sometimes they are semi-feral (technically owned but given free range over a few 100 acres). There are never enough of them to really take hold and establish lasting populations. Especially since ranchers and homesteaders tend to round up the loose ones (feral camels are easily bribed back into captivity).

[MrMakae]

Currently, PBS Eons has my favorite content on all internet. Yep, that is right, favorite of ALL INTERNET. Even above PBS Space Time, top favorite for a long time.

[susanfarley]

while my grandmother lived in Florida she found a fossil that turned out to be a prehistoric camel jawbone. After being told it was a rare fossil (one of the first camel fossils found in Florida) she donated it to the Smithsonian museum.

[brenmoyer]

When they showed the size comparison between th huge camel and our host!! 😱😱😱😱

[ahmedwael]

This is the best prehistoric channel on YouTube. You have a way of finding and bringing to life so many obscure yet extremely interesting animals.

[alicew]

The Eocene epoch was really hitting hard in its day

[rad]

On second thought, let's not go to Camelops. It is a silly place.

[Thumbsupurbum]

I've noticed a theme over many episodes on this channel. Teeth seem to be often used as an identifier for relation between distantly related species. What is it about teeth that make them good at this? Do teeth just not evolve much?

[turmunhkganba]

Could you cover the evolution of blood. Please?

[lncerante]

This is the kind of stories that make this channel so great, I really enjoyed it.

[ticsyringe]

Entirely unrelated, but I feel the need to ask, whats with the Tully Transition ™ at 2:35?

[Ivarx]

hit me with that knowledge, Eons <3

[GreatAukEntertainment]

You should do each north American megafauna

[samrizzardi]

Please do a video on the fascinating history of hypercarnivorous canids (represented today by the African wild dog and the dhole). This lineage was apparently widespread in both Eurasia and North America, before being outcompeted by the true wolves. It even produced a few dwarf forms in Sardinia and Java. I believe the ancestor of them all was Xenocyon, if memory serves me well.

[patricioiasielski]

Now it's a great time to make an episode about south american Ungulates!

Awesome video, as usual!!