Protylopus
Encyclopedia
Protylopus is an extinct genus of camel
, lived during middle to late Eocene
some 45-40 million years ago in North America
.
The oldest camel known, it was also the smallest, reaching a length of 80 centimetres (2.6 ft), and probably weighing around 2.6 kilograms (5.7 lb). Based on its teeth, it probably fed on the soft leaves of forest plants. Protylopuss front legs were shorter than the hind legs, and ended in four-toed feet. The hind legs also ended in four toes, but most of the weight was carried by the third and fourth, so it may have raised itself up on its back legs like the modern day gerenuk
antelope to feed. The shape of the toes suggests that the animal possessed hooves, rather than the foot-pads of modern camel
s.
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
, lived during middle to late Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
some 45-40 million years ago in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
The oldest camel known, it was also the smallest, reaching a length of 80 centimetres (2.6 ft), and probably weighing around 2.6 kilograms (5.7 lb). Based on its teeth, it probably fed on the soft leaves of forest plants. Protylopuss front legs were shorter than the hind legs, and ended in four-toed feet. The hind legs also ended in four toes, but most of the weight was carried by the third and fourth, so it may have raised itself up on its back legs like the modern day gerenuk
Gerenuk
The Gerenuk , also known as the Waller's Gazelle, is a long-necked species of antelope found in dry bushy scrub and steppe in East Africa, from Somalia and eastern Ethiopia through northern and eastern Kenya to northeastern Tanzania...
antelope to feed. The shape of the toes suggests that the animal possessed hooves, rather than the foot-pads of modern camel
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
s.