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Fossilized camel bones found in the Canadian Arctic

Scientists have unearthed the fossilized remains of a giant species of camel in Canada’s high Arctic. An analysis of protein found in the bones has revealed that this creature is an ancestor of today’s species, according to an article in “Nature Communications.”

Dr Mike Buckley, an author of the paper from the University of Manchester, said: “What’s interesting about this story is the location: this is the northernmost evidence of camels.”

The era in which scientists believe this giant camel roamed the Arctic was a warm period of the Earth’s history — but surviving in the Arctic could still have been tough. The ancient camels had to cope with long and harsh winters, with temperatures plunging below freezing. Scientists say there could have been snowstorms and months of perpetual darkness; however, at that time the polar region would have been covered in forest.

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