Camels in Valencia and Murcia

1994/04/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Paleontologia
• Arkeologia

Recent findings in Venta del Moro (Valencia) and Librilla (Murcia) have highlighted the problem of camel creation. Remains of the species Paracamelus have been found, corresponding to the Superior Miocene and 7-7,5 million years ago. They are the oldest fossil camels found in Europe.

The origin of the camelids is America and it is known more or less how they dispersed from there. In the first sense contrary to men they opened up to Asia through the Bering Strait, from where they reached southern Europe.

Four species of camels lived in America: Procamelus, Titanotylopus, Gigantocamelus and Megacamelus. What was the ancestor of all? Unlike Titanotylopus and Gigantocamelus, they appeared much later than Paracamelus. It is therefore a species called Procamelus or Megacamelus. However, it remains to be clarified why camels were lost in America.