Ancient camel jawbone discovery is just deserts for archaeologists

Published on Saturday 13 September 2008 19:35

ARCHAEOLOGISTS have unearthed a camel jawbone in Syria that might belong to an undiscovered tiny species of the desert-cruising animal and – at a million years old – be the oldest camel remains ever found.

The jawbone was uncovered last month near the village of Khowm in the Palmyra region, about 150 miles northeast of the capital, Damascus, said Heba al-Sakhel, one of the leaders of the team of Syrian and Swiss archaeologists.

Last year, the same mission discovered the bones of a giant camel in Syria dating back 100,000 years. That animal, dubbed the Syrian Camel by its discoverers, stood between three and four metres tall – about twice the size of latter-day camels and the height at the shoulder of many African elephants.

The new find, along with the remains of the giant camel, could offer important clues about the animal's evolution, the researchers said.

"It is a very important discovery," said Jean-Marie Le Tensorer, who leads the Swiss side of the team. He said it was the oldest camel bone to be unearthed in the Middle East and probably worldwide.

He added that the camel appeared to be very small and could be a new species but more studies were needed to confirm that.

"The camel is very small in comparison with the normal camel," he said. "But we have to find more bones, different remains, before we can be sure it is a new species."

Le Tensorer said the find also confirmed that the origin of the camel was the Arabian desert, from which it migrated to other parts of the world.

Le Tensorer said all the discoveries contributed to understanding the evolution of dromedaries and other members of the camel family.