caldrail Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Last night I discovered that camels are americans. Seriously. They originated in the grassy plains of the american continent twenty million years ago, becoming extinct there during the ice ages. It seems a bit ironic that an animal so important to moslem nations over the centuries was american in origin. So camels were americas first export. Our first export to america was a bunch of religious malcontents seeking a new paradise to colonise, who discovered tobacco. Now its a strange coincidence that in 1913 an american began exporting Camel Cigrattes.... Its a further oddity of life that apparently camels are the only mammals other than hominoids who enjoy a smoke, since sometimes the owners of these animals give their beasts a puff or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maladict Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Been watching QI, have we? Excellent show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spittle Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Whats their closest American relative??? Bison....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted January 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 I don't know about you, but I think I've discovered the truth about american policy in the middle east. Forget terrorism, forget oil. What the americans really want is their camels back. Now if you'll excuse me, there's several men in black combat gear abseiling down from helicopters outside my house and I think they want to have a word with me.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horatius Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Whats their closest American relative??? Bison....? llamas are Camelids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spittle Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 what are their closest North American relatives? Weren't North and South America separate for the majority of their evolutions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted January 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Weren't North and South America separate for the majority of their evolutions? Yes I believe so, and the emergence of the central american land bridge meant that northern species (including us) could migrate southward and force the local quirky animals into retirement. There's a point to this that hasn't been highlighted. The landbridge across the Bering Strait was useful for us to occupy the north american continent, but I notice that horses and camels left by the same route. I wonder why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klingan Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Weren't North and South America separate for the majority of their evolutions? Yes I believe so, and the emergence of the central american land bridge meant that northern species (including us) could migrate southward and force the local quirky animals into retirement. There's a point to this that hasn't been highlighted. The landbridge across the Bering Strait was useful for us to occupy the north american continent, but I notice that horses and camels left by the same route. I wonder why? We come in they get out sounds like great fun Why doesn't any camel want to stay at the north American party with us? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rameses the Great Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 How can a camel handle such a cold climate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Octavius Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 (edited) Mention camels, and the MUMMY dips his finger in it. Look, you deliquent, there are camels in Mongolia, and it's cold there! It seems that the Klingon has lost his Bering. Better take a GPS reading - quick! And get it Straight! Which variety will the U.S. get back? One or two humped? Edited January 21, 2008 by Gaius Octavius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rameses the Great Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Mention camels, and the MUMMY dips his finger in it. Look, you deliquent, there are camels in Mongolia, and it's cold there! It seems that the Klingon has lost his Bering. Better take a GPS reading - quick! And get it Straight! Which variety will the U.S. get back? One or two humped? You guys can have the two, the one with one is our's. And what is it with this 'West' stuff? Wasn't North America an Amerindian civilizaion and not Western? So that means we had Mongols, Turks, Middle Easterners, and Native Americans with camels just not Europeans correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Paulinus Maximus Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Here's another interesting ( or boring!!!) camel fact....... Australia is the worlds largest exporter of camels! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horatius Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 How can a camel handle such a cold climate? Bactrian Camels (the 2 humpers) live on the steppes of Asia where it is very cold. http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodacty...bactrianus.html From what I have read llamas migrated via the West Indies land bridge now submerged but open when Central America was submerged about 50 million years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Demetrius Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 (edited) So the Florida/Cuba/West Indies land bridge existed, but not Panama? Hmm. I'm not that old yet, so I don't remember. I may have missed it, but were the American Camels the Dromedary type? Edited January 22, 2008 by M. Demetrius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted January 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 You guys can have the two, the one with one is our's. And what is it with this 'West' stuff? Wasn't North America an Amerindian civilizaion and not Western? So that means we had Mongols, Turks, Middle Easterners, and Native Americans with camels just not Europeans correct? Given how much the native species of plains animals nosedived when you guys got there, I suspect you didn't have camels for very long. The burger after all is an american invention is it not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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