For this project, we were tasked with creating a timeline for the evolution of a particular animal in a google presentation. I chose a camel. Surprisingly, camels migrated into Canada before making their way to Asia. This means that their humps and hair were adaptations used to survive the cold weather.  It was difficult, however, to find reliable sources with valuable information on this animal. Many of the sources were blogs or didn’t have the needed information. Below is my presentation and written explanation of the evidence for evolution.

Presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1zFjwJcUrwFD8f4uxa5YJl6h1wZyovfkN82K-sfqgYgs/edit?usp=sharing

Written Explanation

Poebrotherium and Protylopus are two of the oldest camelid species and are often compared to each other. In my research, I came across a source written by a paleontologist, J. L. Wortman, in which he compares the fossils of several different ancient camelids. When explaining their connection, he often refers to the skull and teeth. Wortman explains, “…it can be safely stated that the muzzle had moderate length, with slightly overhanging nasals, much as in Pobrotherium wilsoni.” He goes on to say that the Protylopus’ premaxilla, a bone in the upper jaw, shares the same characteristics as Poebrotherium. When explaining characteristics of teeth, Wortman explains that the canine teeth of both fossils shared the same hook-shaped appearance and size. They also both share an extra cusp on the heel of the last molar. Both Poebrotherium and Protylopus share characteristics of teeth, such as shape or size, which connects them as members of the same family.

 Paleontologists are also able to use evidence from pelvic and leg bones to make connections between the two species. To explain, the ilium, the bone that forms the upper part of the pelvis, is consistent between both species. Furthermore, the proximal end of the femur, the end that connects to the hip bone, is structured the same between the Poebrotherium and Protylopus as well as other camelids. The tibia of the Poebrotherium, as well, bears great resemblance to that of the Protylopus. Lastly, both species only have two functional metapodials. To conclude, paleontologists can show the similarities between species in the same family by explaining the bone structure in each species and how they connect, such as the teeth, skull and leg bones of camelids.