Extinct camelids reveal insights about North America's ancient savannas

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A new study looking at extinct camelids - ancestors of today's camels and llamas - tells the story of North America's ancient savannas and highlights how past climatic and environmental conditions influenced the composition of mammalian faunas.

The study provides the first quantitative characterisation of the ecomorphology of a group of large herbivorous ungulates (i.e. hoofed mammals) known as artiodactyls, which includes camels and antelope, from ancient North American savannas and how they compare with their counterparts from the present-day African savannas.

Lead author of the research, Nuria Melisa Morales Garcia from the University of Bristol, said: "The North American savannas housed a vast diversity of camelids. In fact, camelids actually originated and first diversified in North America where they lived for more than 40 million years and were incredibly successful and widespread."

The analysis showed that while there was considerable overlap between the ecologies of extinct and modern species, the majority of extinct camelids were most similar to the modern common eland, an arid-adapted antelope with a diet of grass and leaves. 

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