Camelus thomasi
{{Short description|Extinct species of camel}}
{{Speciesbox
| extinct = yes
| genus = Camelus
| species = thomasi
| authority = (Pomel, 1893)
}}
Camelus thomasi (also known as Thomas' Camel) is an extinct species of camel from the Early-Mid Pleistocene of North Africa. It is known primarily from Tighennif (Ternifine) in Algeria. Fossils from northern Sudan and Palestine dated to the Late Pleistocene have been included under C. thomasi, but they are now considered to belong to different species, making C. thomasi a strictly Northwest African species.{{Cite news|last=Thomsen|first=Søren Bay Kruse|date=May 29, 2021|title=The Mysterious Origins of the Dromedary|work=The Extinctions|url=https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/the-mysterious-origins-of-the-dromedary|access-date=July 22, 2021|archive-date=July 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722035335/https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/the-mysterious-origins-of-the-dromedary|url-status=live}}
Description
Camelus thomasi was larger than any living species of camel. Other defining characteristics include pachyostosis especially marked in the mandible, broad molars with strong styles, and several unique cranial features. Some studies have linked it as a possible ancestor to the dromedary,{{Cite journal|last=Peters|first=J.|date=1997|title=Camelus thomasi Pomel, 1893, a possible ancestor of the one-humped camel?|url=|journal=Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde|volume=63|pages=372–376}} while others suggest it may be more closely related to the Bactrian camel of central Asia.{{Cite journal|last=Gautier|first=A.|date=November 1966|title=Camelus thomasi from the Northern Sudan and Its Bearing on the Relationship C. thomasi: C. bactrianus|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1301954|journal=Journal of Paleontology|volume=40|issue=6|pages=1368–1372|jstor=1301954|access-date=2021-07-22|archive-date=2021-07-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722035332/https://www.jstor.org/stable/1301954|url-status=live}} However, a 2018 study revealed such assertions to be lacking any scientific basis, and C. thomasi appears to not be closely related to any living camel.{{Cite journal|last1=Martini|first1=Pietro|last2=Geraads|first2=Denis|date=March 2018|title=Camelus thomasi Pomel, 1893 from the Pleistocene type-locality Tighennif (Algeria). Comparisons with modern Camelus|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323874792|journal=Geodiversitas|volume=40|pages=115–134|doi=10.5252/geodiversitas2018v40a5|s2cid=133952148|doi-access=free}}
References
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Category:Prehistoric mammals of Africa
Category:Pleistocene mammals of Africa