Procamelus

Procamelus; Temporal range: Mid-Late Miocene; (Barstovian-Hemphillian); ~
	Mummified Procamelus head
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Camelidae
Tribe:	Camelini
Genus:	†Procamelus; Leidy, 1858
Type species
	Procamelus occidentalis; Leidy 1858
Species
	P. angustidens ; P. coconinensis Hay 1921; P. gracilis ; P. grandis Gregory 1939; P. leptocolon Matthew 1909; P. leptognathus Cope 1893; P. minor Leidy 1886; P. occidentalis Leidy 1858; P. robustus ;
Synonyms
	Homocamelus Leidy 1869;

Procamelus is an extinct genus of camel endemic to North America. It lived from the Middle to Late Miocene 16.3—5.3 mya, existing for approximately 11 million years.[1] The name is derived from the Greek πρό,[2] meaning "before" or denoting priority of order, and κάμελος ("camel"),[3] thus meaning "fore-camel", "early camel" or "predecessor camel".

Restoration of P. altus

It had long legs designed for speed, and was about 1.3 metres (4.3 ft) in height at the shoulder, slightly smaller than a modern llama. Unlike modern camelids, it had a pair of small incisor teeth in the upper jaw. The remaining teeth were large and adapted for eating tough vegetation. The shape of the toes suggests that it possessed foot pads, like modern camels, unlike earlier forms of camelid, which generally had hooves. This would have helped it walk over relatively soft ground.[4] It had a straighter neck than Oxydactylus or Aepycamelus.

References

Procamelus at fossilworks
πρό. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project
κάμελος. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project
Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 275. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.

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[1] Procamelus at fossilworks

[2] πρό. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project

[3] κάμελος. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project

[EoDP-4] Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 275. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.