Once Lived with Ancient Humans, Here’s the Cause of the Extinction of the Giant Camel 2,700 Years Ago

"Once Lived with Ancient Humans, This is the Cause of the Extinction of Giant Camels 2,700 Years Ago"

Camelus Knoblochi, a type of camel that has two humps, shares its environment in Mongolia with modern humans. Additionally, it is believed that this animal also lived alongside Neanderthals and Denisovans until around 27,000 years ago. Camelus knoblochi has inhabited Central Asia for about a quarter of a million years, with its last habitat being in Mongolia, which lasted until around 27,000 years ago.

The research results show that ancient humans hunted and consumed Mongolian giant camels before the species became extinct about 27,000 years ago.

Once Lived with Ancient Humans, Here’s the Cause of the Extinction of the Giant Camel 2,700 Years Ago

The latest research published in Frontiers in Earth Science states that hunting activities conducted by humans on one-tonne camels have a significant impact on the extinction of the species. This occurs in addition to climate change, which is generally recognized as a factor contributing to their death. Scientists analyzed the remains of giant camel fossils found in Tsagaan Agui Cave in the Altai Mountains, along with artifacts left by humans during the Paleolithic era.

Arina M. Khatsenovich from the Russian Academy of Sciences stated that a metacarpal bone, aged between 59,000 and 44,000 years ago, showed signs of cutting and bite marks caused by hyenas. With a height of almost 3 meters and weighing around one metric ton, Camelus knoblochi is much larger compared to Camelus ferus, which is a modern species of camel.

One bone shows signs of human cutting, possibly taken to exploit its protein-rich marrow, and 'hyenas destroy it'.

"Here we show that the extinct camel, Camelus knoblochi, survived in Mongolia until climate and environmental changes caused its extinction around 27,000 years ago,"
say researcher Dr. John W. Olsen from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Arizona.

Source: Arkeonews

Human Life in the Paleolithic Era

The discovery of Camelus knoblochi fossils in Tsagaan Agui Cave, which also contains traces of human life in the Paleolithic era, depicts that prehistoric humans and Camelus knoblochi shared the same territory and interacted in that area.

Ironically, the current southwestern region of Mongolia has become the home to one of the last two endangered populations of Bactrian camels, namely Camelus ferus. Recent discoveries indicate that Camelus knoblochi and Camelus ferus coexisted during the late Pleistocene period in Mongolia. Species competition may have played a role as a third factor in the extinction of Camelus knoblochi.

With a height of almost 3 meters and weighing over 1 ton, Camelus knoblochi significantly has a much larger size compared to Camelus ferus.

Photo: Arkeonews

The following 'Bahasa' text translated to 'English' while preserving any html tags: "Both of these species, Camelus knoblochi and Camelus ferus, along with other extinct species of camels and ancient Paracamelus, are still a subject of debate regarding their exact taxonomic relationship."

"The remnants of Camelus knoblochi fossils from Tsagaan Agui Cave in the Altai Mountains in southwestern Mongolia, which also contains a rich and layered range of Paleolithic human cultural materials, indicate that ancient people lived side by side and interacted there with Camelus knoblochi and, simultaneously, with wild Bactrian camels," said Olsen.

"Extinction"
Researchers state that the extinction of Camelus knoblochi was primarily caused by their inability to survive in worsening drought conditions, compared to modern camels such as Camelus ferus (domestic Bactrian camels) and domestic Arabian camels.

Source: Arkeonews

"Drought Experience"

At the end of the Pleistocene period, most of the Mongolian region experienced an increase in drought levels and underwent a transformation from grasslands to dry steppes, which eventually turned into desert areas.

"We conclude that Camelus knoblochi became extinct in Mongolia and in Asia in general at the end of Marine Isotope Stage 3 around 27,000 years ago as a result of climate change that triggered steppe ecosystem degradation and increased aridification."

Dr. Alexey Klementiev, a paleobiology expert who was the main author of the study, emphasized.

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