Megacamelus
Extinct genus of mammals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Megacamelus is an extinct genus of terrestrial herbivore in the family Camelidae, endemic to North America from the Miocene through Pliocene 10.3—4.9 mya, existing for approximately 5.4 million years.[1]
| Megacamelus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Camelidae |
| Tribe: | Camelini |
| Genus: | †Megacamelus Frick (1929) |
| Species | |
| |
This was one of the largest genera of camelid to roam the Earth together with Megatylopus, Gigantocamelus, the Syrian camel, Camelus knoblochi, Aepycamelus, and Paracamelus.[2] It reached approximately 3.4 m (11 ft) in height.[3]
Taxonomy
Megacamelus was named by Frick (1929). It was assigned to Camelidae by Frick (1929) and Honey et al. (1998).[4]
Fossil distribution
Fossils have been found from Nebraska to Idaho to Southern California.
