Giant camel bones found in Syria

October 11, 2006

The skeletal remains of a giant camel were discovered in a Syrian desert. The fossils are estimated to have come from a camel that died about 100,000 years ago.

The bones were unearthed at al-Hemel, Syria, about 155 miles northeast of Damascus, by an archaeological team made up of both Swiss and Syrian people.

Apparently the Palmyra region of the Syrian desert "is the first origin of the camel," said Bassam Jammous, director general of the Antiquities and Museum Department.

A scientific name has not yet been agreed upon, but the joint Swiss-Syrian team has dubbed it the "Syrian Camel". Jammous stated that the animal is thought to have been around 13 feet tall, twice that of an average-size modern day camel.

Some human bones were discovered nearby in 2005, while stone tools were found along with the camel bones recently.

Evidence from the fossils make it appear that they were not bred by humans, but this cannot be certain.