2020/01/01 by Denis Geraads, Gilles Didier, Andrew Barr +2 · 2 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Animal Diversity and Health Studies #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · pdf · doi:10.4202/app.00727.2020
openalex publication_date 2020/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
A new compilation of the Old World fossil record of Camelidae and a recent phylogenetic analysis allow a new assessment of the timing of the clade's diversification. Using a recent implementation of the fossilized birth-death process, we show that the divergence between Bactrian camel and dromedary has a peak probability density around 1 Ma and probably occurred less than 2 million years ago. These dates are much younger than molecular estimates, which place the divergence between the dromedary and the Bactrian camel between 4 and 8 million years ago. Calibration problems in molecular dating seem to explain much of this difference.