Camelids evolved from their closest relatives, ruminates and swine, about 47 million years ago. They have a three-chambered stomach and are strictly herbivorous. Camelids first evolved in North America and now survive in three main groups: dromedaries, Bactrian camels, and llamas, alpacas, vicunas, and gaunacos. Dromedaries and Bactrian camels have extensive adaptations to survive in waterless environments.
Camelids are a family of ungulates that separated from their closest relatives, ruminates (cattle, antelopes, goats, etc.) and swine (pigs, peccaries and hippopotamuses) about 47 million years ago, during the Middle Eocene. While not true ruminates (they do not ruminate), camelids have a three-chambered stomach (rather than the four-chambered stomach of ruminates) and, unlike pigs, are strictly herbivorous. Camelids include camels, dromedaries, llamas, alpacas, vicunas, and gaunacos.
As some of the first mammals to develop multi-chambered stomachs, camelids represent the evolutionary trend toward adaptation to grasslands and away from woodlands. A contemporary event in camelid evolution, the Azolla event, caused a rapid rise in global carbon dioxide levels, which initiated global cooling and glaciation at the Poles. This, in turn, killed off most of the tropical and subtropical forests that had dominated the planet during the Mesozoic and ushered in an “Age of Herbs” that has continued to the present day. Camelids evolved their multi-chambered stomachs to better process nutrient-poor grasses.
Camelids first evolved in North America, which was an island continent at the time. All camelid species that lived in North America are now extinct, the last of which went extinct just 10,000 years ago, likely due to hunting and competition with newly arrived human settlers. Camelids lived exclusively in North America for tens of millions of years, only spreading to Asia and South America about 2-3 million years ago, when North America was connected to both continents by land bridges.
Three main groups of camelids survive today: the dromedary of northern Africa and the Middle East, the Bactrian camel of east Asia, and the llamas, alpacas, vicunas and gaunacos of South America. Dromedaries and Bactrian camels are famous for their humps: dromedaries have one and Bactrian two, sometimes causing them to be referred to as one- and two-humped camels, respectively. The most famous camel is the dromedary, which is widely used throughout northern Africa and the Arabian peninsula. Both dromedary and Bactrian camels have extensive adaptations to survive in nearly waterless environments, such as the Arabian Desert and Gobi Desert. In ancient times, camel caravans carried frankincense from Yemen and Oman across the Arabian Desert, but today the desert has become so harsh that no one dares to cross it.
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