Camels are well known for their ability to survive the hot and dry conditions of the desert, but a study suggests they once thrived in colder climes. Scientists have unearthed the fossilised remains of a giant species of camel in Canada's High Arctic. Read more
Camel skeletons found by a team of archaeologists in the Western Region have been found to date back more than 6,000 years. Radiocarbon dating tests were carried out on the remains of 40 ancient wild camels in Al Gharbia after they were uncovered last month by the team from the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH).
Swiss researchers have discovered the 100,000-year-old remains of a previously unknown giant camel species in central Syria.
"This is a big discovery, a revolution in science. It was not known that the dromedary was present in the Middle East more than 10,000 years ago" - Jean-Marie Le Tensorer, a prehistory professor at the University of Basel.
He said it was about 12 feet tall, "as big as a giraffe or an elephant." Professor Tensorer, who has been excavating at the desert site in Kowm since 1999, said the first large bones were found some years ago but were only confirmed as belonging to a camel after more bones from several parts of the same animal were recently discovered.